Maximizing Carbon and Energy Efficiency in Fuel-Assisted Power- and Biomass-to-Liquid Processes Using Molecular Separation and Cost-Reducing Heat Recovery

This study investigates the integration of CO2/H2S separation and internal power generation in power- and biomass-to-liquid (PBtL) and fuel-assisted PBtL (FAPBtL) processes to enhance carbon efficiency and reduce external electricity demand. Four configurations (PBtL, FAPBtL-recycle, FAPBtL-purge, and Purge-to-Fuel (Purge-tF)) are evaluated through detailed mass and energy balances, thermal integration analysis, and techno-economic assessment. Reintegration of separated CO2 eliminates carbon losses in the acid gas removal unit, increasing carbon efficiencies to approximately 98% for PBtL and Purge-tF, 97% for FAPBtL-recycle, and 79% for FAPBtL-purge. Increasing the carbon efficiency from 91% to 98%, for PBTL, comes from capturing 85% of the CO2 downstream of the acid gas removal unit. In parallel, integration of a supercritical two-step reheat Rankine cycle with preheating enables the recovery of high-temperature process heat, increasing cycle efficiency from 42% to 55% and generating up to 61 MW of internal power. Although CO2/H2S separation introduces additional capital and energy requirements, the combined integration of carbon recycling and heat-to-power recovery improves overall system performance. The Purge-tF configuration achieves the lowest net production cost of 2.60 €/kgfuel (2.11 €/Lfuel). Sensitivity analysis confirms electricity price as the dominant economic driver. The results demonstrate that strategic integration of carbon recycling and advanced heat recovery can substantially improve both the carbon utilization and economic viability of biomass-based synthetic fuel production.