There is hardly any topic in the renewable energy
sector that is as dynamic as the world of biofuels.
Due to growing concerns about CO2 emissions, the
importance of the transport sector in everybody s
life as well as concerns about security of fuel
supply in Europe and the US biofuels are an
interesting field of research.
One of the most fascinating questions particularly
in synthetic biofuels is the debate about
the ideal scale of production plants. On the one
hand, fossil fuel supply is based on large and
centralized facilities, on the other, bioenergy
systems are typically characterized by small and
decentralized technologies. The question is: Which
way to go in biomass-based Fischer-Tropsch fuel
production?
As the author disagrees with common wisdom that
synfuel plants have to be of enormous scale to allow
cost-competitive production, an unconventional and
innovative process design is proposed that combines
small-scale and low-cost fuel production.
Consequently, the production based
on polygeneration and a revival of the
historic normal pressure synthesis could open the
door to decentralized, biomass-based Fischer-Tropsch
synfuel technology.
sector that is as dynamic as the world of biofuels.
Due to growing concerns about CO2 emissions, the
importance of the transport sector in everybody s
life as well as concerns about security of fuel
supply in Europe and the US biofuels are an
interesting field of research.
One of the most fascinating questions particularly
in synthetic biofuels is the debate about
the ideal scale of production plants. On the one
hand, fossil fuel supply is based on large and
centralized facilities, on the other, bioenergy
systems are typically characterized by small and
decentralized technologies. The question is: Which
way to go in biomass-based Fischer-Tropsch fuel
production?
As the author disagrees with common wisdom that
synfuel plants have to be of enormous scale to allow
cost-competitive production, an unconventional and
innovative process design is proposed that combines
small-scale and low-cost fuel production.
Consequently, the production based
on polygeneration and a revival of the
historic normal pressure synthesis could open the
door to decentralized, biomass-based Fischer-Tropsch
synfuel technology.