Coal- and Biomass-to-Liquids: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Globally, there is growing interest in advancing alternatives to petroleum-derived transportation fuel in order to mitigate the risks posed by energy insecurity and global climate change. Coal-to-liquids (CTL) and biomass-to-liquids (BTL) represent promising means of supplementing or supplanting refined petroleum products, particularly diesel fuel. This work evaluates the technical and economic aspects of coalto- liquids and biomass-to-liquids, and concludes that both technologies may offer an economic means of replacing petroleum products. It is shown that CTL is more technically proven and more economic, but represents a potentially tremendous new source of carbon dioxide emissions.