Techno-Economic, Environmental, Policy Status and Perspectives on Sustainable Resource Conversion Into Transportation Fuels

Decentralized conversion of local biomass into liquid feedstock, such as bio-oil or alcohol, offers a solution to reduce cost of refinery. Liquid biomass feedstock boasts up to seven times the energy density and eight to twelve times the bulk density of raw biomass, reducing transportation, handling, and storage costs. It is suitable for biorefineries, capable of being upgraded into biofuels and chemicals. Thus, the present study aims to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) of producing liquid fuels from various biomass species and reactor capacities, focusing on how decentralized thermochemical processes can reduce transportation costs. The analysis considers factors such as solid biomass feedstock characteristics, surface density, chemical composition, and energy content. Recent TEA studies highlight the economic viability of biomass-to-liquid (BTL) fuels, with minimum product prices ranging from $0.60 to $3.88 per gasoline liter equivalent (GLE), depending on factors such as conversion pathway, feedstock cost, and plant scale. Integrating these variables optimally into the TEA is crucial for the competitiveness and profitability of BTL processes.