Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2022 - 44

Sustainable Technology
learning was needed to help guide the experimental
process.
But while most machine-learning systems
use raw data such as measurements of the
electrical and other properties of test samples,
they don't typically incorporate human
experience such as qualitative observations
made by the experimenters of the
visual and other properties of the test samples,
or information from other experiments
reported by other researchers. So,
the team found a way to incorporate such
outside
information
into
the machine
learning model, using a probability factor
based on a mathematical technique called
Bayesian Optimization.
The system now allows experimenters to
A machine learning system promises to speed up production of perovskite-based solar cells. (Image:
Photo of solar cell by Nicholas Rolston, Stanford, and edited by MIT News. Perovskite illustration
by Christine Daniloff, MIT)
much more rapidly guide their process in
order to optimize it for a given set of conditions
or required outcomes. The research
team is currently focusing on tech transfer
to existing perovskite manufacturers.
For more information, contact Abby
Abazorius at 617-253-2709; abbya@
mit.edu.
Lignin-Based Jet Fuel Packs More Power
A new method turns lignin from agricultural waste into a sustainable jet fuel.
Washington State University, Pullman, DC
A
n experimental plant-based jet fuel
could increase engine performance
and efficiency, while dispensing with aromatics,
the pollution-causing compounds
found in conventional fuels, according
to new research.
In a study published in the journal
Fuel, researchers analyzed a Washington
State University-developed jet fuel based
on lignin, an organic polymer that makes
plants tough and woody. Using a range
of tests and predictions, the researchers
examined fuel properties critical to jet
engine operation, including seal swell,
density, efficiency, and emissions. Their
results suggest that this sustainable fuel
could be mixed with other biofuels to
fully replace petroleum-derived fuels.
" When we tested our lignin jet fuel, we
saw some interesting results, " said Bin
Yang, professor with WSU's Department
of Biological Systems Engineering and
corresponding author on the study. " We
found that it not only had increased energy
density and content but also could
totally replace aromatics, which are a
real problem for the aviation industry. "
" Aromatics are
associated with increased
soot emissions, as well as con44
A
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist helps develop a sustainable fuel component as
part of research into bio-based jet fuels. (Image: Washington State University)
trails, which are estimated to contribute
more to the climate impact of aviation
than carbon dioxide, " said Joshua
Heyne, co-author, University of Dayton
scientist and current co-director of the
joint WSU-PNNL Bioproducts Institute.
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" Aromatics are still used in fuel today
because we do not have solutions to
some of the problems they solve: They
provide jet fuel with a density that other
sustainable technologies do not. Most
unique is their ability to swell the
Tech Briefs, September 2022

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Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2022

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