SYNTHETIC LIQUID FUELS FROM COAL + BIOMASS WITH NEAR-ZERO GHG EMISSIONS

SYNTHETIC LIQUID FUELS FROM COAL + BIOMASS WITH NEAR-ZERO GHG EMISSIONS

Robert H. Williams, Princeton Environmental Institute, Princeton University

12 January 2005

 

CONCLUSIONS

• It seems feasible to make a major contribution in addressing challenges posed by the automobile—in this quarter century—via production and use of designer synfuels from coal/biomass with CCS

• Major technical uncertainty is “gigascale” viability of CO2 storage—many more “megascale” CO2 storage demos needed…soon
• Biomass synfuel production technology must be brought to commercial readiness (commercial gasifier needed) and demonstrated…new Swedish biomass synfuel test facility at former BIGCC demo site
• Also demos needed for synfuels plants with CCS…but radical new technologies not needed

 

• Carbon mitigation policy needed
• Institutional/cultural challenges:
  – Overcoming widespread ill feelings about coal synfuels costly synfuels failures of late 1970s-early 1980s
  – Political will to enact ambitious automotive efficiency improvement policy
  – Coalition-building for proposed strategy—across multiple industries and
  involving international collaborations (e.g., among Australia, Brazil, China, US)

 

 

Link to this paper at : http://www.princeton.edu/~cmi/events/2005/WilliamsWpm.pdf