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Techno-Economic Evaluation of Jet Fuel Production via an Alternative Gasification-Driven Biomass-to-Liquid Pathway and Benchmarking with the State-of-the-Art Fischer–Tropsch and Alcohol-to-Jet Concepts

Author

Listed:
  • Nikolaos Detsios

    (Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, 6th km. Charilaou-Thermis, GR 57001 Thermi, Greece
    Department of Agricultural Development, Agri-Food and Natural Resources Management—Evripos Campus, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, GR 34400 Evia, Greece)

  • Leda Maragoudaki

    (Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, 6th km. Charilaou-Thermis, GR 57001 Thermi, Greece)

  • Stefano Rebecchi

    (Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant VZW, Rodenhuizekaai 1, BE 9042 Gent, Belgium)

  • Koen Quataert

    (Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant VZW, Rodenhuizekaai 1, BE 9042 Gent, Belgium)

  • Karel De Winter

    (Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant VZW, Rodenhuizekaai 1, BE 9042 Gent, Belgium)

  • Vassilis Stathopoulos

    (Department of Agricultural Development, Agri-Food and Natural Resources Management—Evripos Campus, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, GR 34400 Evia, Greece)

  • Nikolaos G. Orfanoudakis

    (Department of Agricultural Development, Agri-Food and Natural Resources Management—Evripos Campus, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, GR 34400 Evia, Greece)

  • Panagiotis Grammelis

    (Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, 6th km. Charilaou-Thermis, GR 57001 Thermi, Greece)

  • Konstantinos Atsonios

    (Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute, 6th km. Charilaou-Thermis, GR 57001 Thermi, Greece)

Abstract

Around 65% of the mitigation needed for the targeted net-zero carbon aviation emissions in 2050 is expected to come from Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs). In this study, an alternative gasification-driven Biomass-to-Liquid (BtL) concept for the production of SAFs is introduced and evaluated. In particular, a fuel synthesis scheme based on the double-stage fermentation of the produced syngas (syngas → acetic acid → TAGs) is assessed instead of the conventional Fischer-Tropsch (FT) or Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) synthesis. The objective of the present work is the techno-economic evaluation of a large-scale (200 MWth) replication of the mentioned BtL concept, whose performance has been simulated in Aspen Plus TM (V.11) with reasonable upscaling considerations and models validated at a pilot scale. The estimated baseline Total Capital Investment (TCI) of €577 million lies in the typical range of €500–700 million that many recent techno-economic studies adopt for gasification-driven BtL plants of similar capacity, while the estimated annual operating costs of €50 million correspond to a 15–40% OpEx reduction compared to such plants. A discounted cash flow analysis was carried out, and a baseline Minimum Jet Selling Price (MJSP) equal to 1.83 €/L was calculated, while a range of 1.38–2.27 €/L emerged from the sensitivity analysis. This study sets the biological conversion of gasification-derived syngas into triglycerides (TAGs) as a promising alternative route for the production of SAFs. In general, gasification-driven BtL pathways, led by the relatively mature FT and AtJ technologies, are capable of thriving in the coming years based on their capability of advanced feedstock flexibility.

Suggested Citation

  • Nikolaos Detsios & Leda Maragoudaki & Stefano Rebecchi & Koen Quataert & Karel De Winter & Vassilis Stathopoulos & Nikolaos G. Orfanoudakis & Panagiotis Grammelis & Konstantinos Atsonios, 2024. "Techno-Economic Evaluation of Jet Fuel Production via an Alternative Gasification-Driven Biomass-to-Liquid Pathway and Benchmarking with the State-of-the-Art Fischer–Tropsch and Alcohol-to-Jet Concept," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-23, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:7:p:1685-:d:1368643
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Atsonios, Konstantinos & Kougioumtzis, Michael-Alexander & D. Panopoulos, Kyriakos & Kakaras, Emmanuel, 2015. "Alternative thermochemical routes for aviation biofuels via alcohols synthesis: Process modeling, techno-economic assessment and comparison," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 346-366.
    2. Atsonios, Konstantinos & Li, Jun & Inglezakis, Vassilis J., 2023. "Process analysis and comparative assessment of advanced thermochemical pathways for e-kerosene production," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(PA).
    3. Wang, Wei-Cheng & Liu, Yu-Cheng & Nugroho, Rusdan Aditya Aji, 2022. "Techno-economic analysis of renewable jet fuel production: The comparison between Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and pyrolysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(PA).
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