Sustainable aviation fuel from normal alpha olefin byproducts and process for same

A process for making a sustainable aviation fuel, the process comprising:

• (a) providing a bio-ethylene feed, at least a portion of which is derived from dehydration of biomass ethanol;
• (b) contacting the bio-ethylene feed with a first catalyst system comprising a first oligomerization catalyst to form an oligomerization product comprising at least one C4-C8 alpha-olefin and a mixture of decenes;
• (c) separating the mixture of decenes from the oligomerization product;
• (d) (i) contacting the mixture of decenes with at least one C6− alpha-olefin in the presence of a second catalyst system comprising a second oligomerization catalyst, or (ii) contacting the mixture of decenes with at least one C8− alpha-olefin in the presence of a second catalyst system comprising a metathesis catalyst, to provide a C16− olefin stream;
• (e) hydrogenating the C16− olefin stream in the presence of a first hydrogenation catalyst to provide C16− paraffins;
• and
• (f) using the C16− paraffins as a component to form a sustainable aviation fuel.