Utilization of biomass-derived syngas into liquid fuels via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis: challenges and opportunities

Recently, the attention on using biomass-derived syngas in liquid fuel increased in the past few years due to the growing alarming environmental situation. The dynamic crude oil price and the consequences of the usage of fossil fuels indicate shifting global energy to a renewable and environmentally benign source. Biomass has huge potential to be an alternative resource of energy, specifically transportation fuel. Biomass gasification produces a mixture of CO and H2, called syngas. The syngas can be converted into liquid transportation fuel via the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) process. The integrated approach of biomass gasification followed by the FTS is an attractive technology for environmentally friendly fuel production. However, integrated technology has several practical challenges, such as the design of gasifiers, impurities of syngas, and catalyst deactivation. This chapter discusses the underlying challenges in detail and evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of the biomass-based FTS technology.