(537b) Technical and Economic Feasibility of Mixed Alcohols Fuel Production from Biomass-Derived Syngas

The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of the Biomass Program (OBP) promotes the development of technologies for converting biomass into valuable fuels, chemicals, and power that foster the growth of domestic biorefineries with the goal of reducing foreign oil imports. As such, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has recently completed a detailed process design and economic analysis of the integrated production of a mixed alcohols fuel product from biomass via gasification and subsequent alcohol synthesis. An initial literature search gave a snapshot of the state of the technology and progress throughout the past 20 years. The process was rigorously modeled using Aspen Plus®. A discounted cash flow rate of return (DCFROR) analysis was used to assess economic feasibility. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify the variables with the greatest economic impact. This information will help to quantify the potential of biomass research to provide cost competitive renewable products that replace petroleum-derived fuels.