Advancing Sustainability in Hydrocarbon Production: Breakthroughs in CO2 Hydrogenation with Iron-Based Catalysts and Comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment of Environmental Impacts

The need for carbon-neutral synthetic fuels drives research into CO2 hydrogenation via Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis, where catalyst selection affects conversion efficiency and environmental performance. This study applies life cycle assessment to three hydrotalcite-derived catalysts (Fe30, Fe40, Co45), evaluating CO2 utilization efficiency, energy demand, and environmental impacts under laboratory-scale FT conditions. The CO2 utilization factor (CUF), defined as the ratio of CO2 consumed to emitted, reached 167% for Co45 at 350 °C, indicating net CO2 consumption despite burdens from cobalt production and critical raw material use. Iron-based catalysts offer lower production-related emissions but lower CO2 conversion, with Fe40 performing least favorably. Scenario analysis highlights electricity supply effects: replacing fossil power with hydro or biomass electricity improves CO2 sequestration but introduces land-use and ecotoxicity challenges. These findings expose limitations of extrapolating laboratory-scale LCA to industrial systems and support the development of carbon-negative FT fuels by guiding catalyst design, process efficiency, and energy integration.