U.S. DRIVE Net-Zero Carbon Fuels Technical Team Analysis Summary Report 2021

The Net-Zero Carbon Fuels Technical Team (NZTT) is tasked with investigating the potential to generate carbon-based fuels with much lower carbon intensities (CIs) compared to those of conventional fuels, approaching or exceeding net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study, the life cycle GHG emissions of five fuel production pathways and dozens of variants on those pathways are analyzed. Additionally, the overall cost of each pathway is evaluated and calculated as minimum fuel selling price (MFSP). The five pathways and their primary variations are: (1) Conventional corn ethanol production with upgrading to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), incorporating renewable process inputs and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) or carbon capture and utilization (CCU). (2) Advanced cellulosic ethanol production using corn stover biomass feedstock and ethanol upgrading to SAF. Similar to Case 1, renewable inputs, CCS, and CCU are assessed. (3) Production of gasoline, jet, and diesel fuel from woody biomass gasification followed by Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis. (4) Production of gasoline, jet, and diesel fuel from the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of wet wastes (sludge from wastewater treatment plants) and subsequent hydrotreating and fractionation. (5) Direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water/CO2 electrolysis to syngas followed by FT synthesis to produce gasoline, SAF, and diesel. Life cycle analysis (LCA)— based primarily on the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) LCA model—was used to calculate each pathway’s CI. Techno-economic analysis (TEA) based on a consistent set of assumptions about finance, capital costs, and feedstock prices is used to calculate each pathway’s MFSP.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/us-drive-net-zero-carbon-fuels-technical-team-analysis-summary-report-2021
• Corporate Authors:

  U.S. DRIVE

  ,    

  Argonne National Laboratory

  ,    

  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  ,    

  National Renewable Energy Laboratory

  Golden, CO  United States  80401

  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

  ,    

  University of California, Berkeley

  Berkeley, CA  United States  94720-1720

  Department of Energy

  1000 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20585
• Authors:
  • Chen, Peter
  • Dees, John
  • Goldstein, Hannah
  • Harris, Kylee
  • Huang, Zhe
  • Lee, Uisung
  • Li, Wenqin
  • Meyer, Pimphan (Aye)
  • Rowe, Ian
  • Sanchez, Dan
  • Simon, A J
  • Snowden-Swan, Lesley
  • Tao, Ling
  • Wang, Michael
  • Yoo, Eunji
• Publication Date: 2023-11-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 86p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternate fuels; Biomass fuels; Ethanol; Fuel processing; Life cycle analysis; Pollutants; Waste products (Materials)
• Subject Areas: Economics; Energy; Environment; Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01907841
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 12 2024 10:31AM