Bio High-Power Fuel

 

For rocket fuel, one unit of increased specific impulse (Isp) equals roughly a 1% increase in payload that can reach low Earth orbit.  That was achieved with Syntin, a high-performance propellant developed by the Soviet space program.  Syntin achieved a 3% increase in impulse equivalent to 200 kg in payload. 

However, organic synthesis of Syntin and polycyclopropanated (POP) compounds is challenging, costly, and involves toxic and hazardous intermediates derived from petroleum.  This made them too costly for commercial viability. 

Nevertheless, the performance of Syntin demonstrated that incorporation of multiple CP rings into hydrocarbon fuels can yield high energy density. In fact, recent work on catalytic cyclopropanation of bioderived terpenes has led to excellent candidates for high-performance jet fuel blend stocks or specialized rocket propellant.  In particular, there are three-carbon triangles that have greater energy than

In this work, researchers from Technical University of Denmark designed POP molecules that could be used as high-energy fuels.  produced polycyclopropanated fatty acid methyl esters (POP-FAMEs). Their POP fuel candidates can have net heating values of more than 50 MJ/L. Their research shows that the POP-FAMEs and other POPs have the energetic properties for energy-demanding applications, and they can be produced with relatively safe and low-energy reactions.