# Biochar Enhances Fischer–Tropsch Electrofuels from CO2 and Renewable Energy

## TL;DR

This paper explores using biochar to reduce costs and environmental impacts of producing electrofuels from CO2 and renewable energy.

## Contribution

A novel approach using biochar gasification via the reverse Boudouard reaction to lower hydrogen demand in electrofuel synthesis.

## Key findings

- Using biochar in FT electrofuel synthesis reduces cost and carbon footprint by 10% and 11%, respectively.
- The approach also decreases damage to human health and ecosystems by 10–17%.
- Proper system expansion scenarios are crucial for accurate environmental and economic assessments.

## Abstract

Electrofuels
have emerged as a promising category of
alternative
fuels for decarbonizing long-distance modes of transport where electrification
opportunities might be limited. Despite the favorable environmental
performance, their high cost, driven mostly by the expensive electrolytic
hydrogen (H2), still poses a challenge to their widespread
adoption. Here, we propose a novel approach based on carbon dioxide
(CO2) gasification of biochar via the reverse Boudouard
reaction to decrease the H2 demand in Fischer–Tropsch
(FT) electrofuel synthesis. We adopt a system expansion approach and
assess the life-cycle environmental impacts and techno-economic feasibility
of this route considering the replacement of different end-uses of
biochar. The comparison to the standard reverse water–gas shift
(RWGS) configuration showcases that shifting to the Boudouard route
could lead to a reduction in cost, carbon footprint, and impact on
human health and ecosystems quality. Nevertheless, collateral damage
toward resource depletion could take place depending on the choice
of the expanded system for the analysis. In our best case scenario,
we improve the global warming impact by 11% and lower the cost by
10% while achieving damage reductions in the range of 10–17%
to human health, ecosystem quality, and resource scarcity. Overall,
this work sheds light on the potential economic and environmental
benefits of a more efficient material integration among processes.
Moreover, our results hint at the importance of defining proper system
expansion scenarios in assessing alternative technologies, as varying
system boundaries could yield different assessment outcomes.