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Opportunities and Challenges in Reducing the Complexity of the Fischer–Tropsch Gas Loop of Smaller-Scale Facilities for the Production of Renewable Hydrocarbons

Stefan Arlt, Theresa Köffler, Imanuel Wustinger, Christian Aichernig, Reinhard Rauch, Hermann Hofbauer and Gerald Weber ()
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Stefan Arlt: BEST—Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH, Inffeldgasse 21b, 8010 Graz, Austria
Theresa Köffler: BEST—Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH, Inffeldgasse 21b, 8010 Graz, Austria
Imanuel Wustinger: BEST—Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH, Inffeldgasse 21b, 8010 Graz, Austria
Christian Aichernig: Aichernig Engineering GmbH, Löwengasse 19/1/17, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Reinhard Rauch: Engler-Bunte-Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Engler-Bunte-Ring 1, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Hermann Hofbauer: BEST—Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH, Inffeldgasse 21b, 8010 Graz, Austria
Gerald Weber: BEST—Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH, Inffeldgasse 21b, 8010 Graz, Austria

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-19

Abstract: When renewable resources such as biomass, waste, or carbon dioxide together with renewable electrical energy are used, Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis is a promising option for the sustainable production of fuels and petrochemicals conventionally derived from crude oil. As such renewable resources generally do not occur in large point sources like fossil fuels, future sustainable FT facilities will likely be substantially smaller in scale than their fossil counterparts, which will have a significant impact on their design. A core topic in the reimagination of such smaller-scale facilities will be the reduction in complexity of the FT gas loop. To this end, three simple gas loop designs for the conversion of syngas from biomass gasification were conceived, simulated in DWSIM, and compared regarding their performance. Concepts only employing an internal recycle were found to be inherently limited in terms of efficiency. To achieve high efficiencies, an external recycle with a tail gas reformer and high tail gas recycling ratios (>3) were required. Thereby, the carbon dioxide content of the syngas had a considerable influence on the required syngas H 2 /CO ratio, making the separation efficiency of the carbon dioxide removal unit a suitable control parameter in this respect.

Keywords: Fischer–Tropsch synthesis; Biomass-to-Liquid; biofuels; tail gas recycling; syngas; steam reforming; carbon efficiency; process simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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