You can persuade a turbine engine to run on just about anything that can burn. So the decision of which fuel to actually use depends on the side factors including, but not limited to:
- availability
- cost
- emissions
- hot section temperature
- chemical reactions with engine parts
- handling
Specific examples:
- Coal dust is rather difficult to pump around, and the rampies don't like shovelling
- liquid hydrogen (used in the Space Shuttle) requires a lot of storage and has the nasty habit of freezing anything it touches, like rampies.
- ethylacetylenedecaborane is unpleasantly toxic (rampies union again) and the combustion byproducts were rather abrasive to the engine's innards
- trimethylaluminum would reduce the engine complexity (no igniters needed) because it has the nasty habit of igniting instantly upon contact with air, so leaks are rather dangerous.
- natural gas is commonly used as a turbine fuel in pumping stations: it's already there and thus is "free". The required pressure vessels make it impractical to use as an aircraft fuel.
So kerosene basically became the standard turbine fuel because it's:
- cheap: kerosene makes up a rather large fraction of crude oil. When you measure your fuel load in tons a few cents per litre makes a difference.
- safe to handle: relatively non-toxic, doesn't ignite all that easily
- storable and transportable in common structural metals
- doesn't clog up the engine