Sustainability Assessment of the Coal/Biomass to Fischer–Tropsch Fuel Processes

Abstract

In recent years, developing alternative liquid to fossil fuels has drawn much attention from world industry. In China, the coal/biomass-based Fischer–Tropsch (FT) liquid is a promising alternative to address the shortage of petroleum supplies. However, there is a lack of systematic and quantitative assessment of sustainability of these processes. This paper proposes a multi-dimensional set of metrics to assess sustainability performance of the coal/biomass to FT liquids processes in China. The assessment indicates that the coal-to-FT fuel process performs well in technical and economic aspects, while unsatisfactorily in relation to environmental features. Besides, the production potential of coal-to-FT in China by 2020 is rather limited. On the other hand, the biomass-to-FT fuel process shows great potential for replacement of petroleum-derived fuels and good environmental performance, although it does not perform well in terms of economic and technical characteristics at present. Co-processing biomass with coal to make FT fuel is a preferable compromise option for its low GHG emissions and good economic performance, although further investigations and technical improvements are needed.