Techno-economic assessment of biomass-to-liquid fuel production via chemical looping in comparison to conventional pathways
Krutarth Pandit, Ishani Karki Kudva, Shekhar G. Shinde, Christoph Boose, Liang‐Shih Fan
Abstract
Rising liquid fuel demand is increasing CO₂ emissions, making renewable biomass technologies vital for a low-carbon future. This study presents a chemical looping-based biomass conversion process integrated with Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (CLFT) for liquid fuel production and evaluates its techno-economic performance against two established biomass-based pathways: biomass gasification to liquid fuels (GFT) and biomass pyrolysis to liquid fuels (PHP). A minimum fuel selling price (MFSP) analysis, conducted using a discounted cash flow approach, estimates MFSP values of $3.59/GGE for CLFT, $5.26/GGE for GFT, and $4.54/GGE for PHP. The energy efficiencies of CLFT, GFT, and PHP are at 37.7 %, 37.3 %, and 46.4 %, respectively, while their carbon conversion efficiencies are 32.3 %, 30.5 %, and 40.4 %. Sensitivity analyses reveal that feedstock cost exerts the greatest influence on MFSP, followed by the internal rate of return and capital expenditures. Additionally, a 50 % increase in plant capacity (from the baseline 2000 dry tons/day of biomass) results in only an 11 % reduction in MFSP, whereas a 50 % decrease in plant size leads to a 17 % increase in MFSP. These findings highlight CLFT's economic and technical advantages, reinforcing its promise as a cost-effective, sustainable fuel generation alternative.