Synthetic Fuels

Synthetic fuel is liquid fuel derived from coal, natural gas, or biomass. There are certain fuels derived from other solids such as oil shale, tar sand, waste plastics and even from the fermentation of biomatter considered synthetic fuel.

There are several major reasons synthetic fuels are attractive alternatives to competing technologies such as biofuels, ethanol/methanol or hydrogen.

* The key raw material, coal, is available in sufficient quantities to meet current demands for the foreseeable future.

*The synthetic fuel process produces gasoline, diesel and kerosene minus additional processes needed in creating other fuel types.

*Current automobiles can utilize synthetic fuel; need no additions or conversions are necessary.

*The current distribution network(fuel stations, tankers, etc.) can seamlessly utilize synthetic fuels.

Synthetic Fuel Is Discovered

In the 1920s Franz Fischer and Hans Trophsch created the technology and process for transforming natural gas, biomass, or coal into synthetic fuel. The Fischer-Tropsch process became quickly industrialized for mass production and was used on by German government and military during World War II. Lesser known and utlized processes include the Bergius process, the Mobil process and the Karrick process. The process of production process of synthetic fuel, or synfuel, requires the alteration of the natural state of a substance. For example, often solids are transformed into liquids, and gases into liquids in the synthetic fuel process.

Public Consumption: A Present Picture

The leading company in the production and distribution of synthetic fuels is Sasol. The South African based company Sasol operates the world's only commercial coal-to-liquids facility. Other companies with a stake in the expanding synthetic fuel production are Shell, Exxon, StatoilHydro, Rentech, and Syntroleum.

A variety of synthetic fuels developments are taking root and growing steadily in the United States. For example: American Clean Coal Fuels, in their Illinois Clean Fuels project, Baard Energy, in their Ohio River Clean Fuels project, Rentech is developing a coal and biomass to liquids plant in Natchez Mississippi, and DKRW is developing a coal to liquids plant in Medicine Bow Wyoming.

Numerous other United States companies are finding the direction of their research programs heavily favoring a foray into the synthetic fuel field.

Environmental Effects

At present, large-scale development of synthetic fuels increases carbon emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, and other pollutants inherent in conversion of gaseous and solid carbon sources to a usable liquid form.

Scientists and researchers are currently experimenting with new processes to reduce the harm caused by the production of synthetic fuels using the following: liquid-phase reactor technology, biomass gasification technology, and hybrid hydrogen-carbon processes.

New Developments

Scientists in Italy have discovered a potential new process could eliminate major obstacles to expanded use of coal gasification as an energy resource for synthetic liquid fuels.

The study notes that coal is the only conventional energy source with the potential for meeting global energy demands in the near future, yet existing processes for converting coal into liquid fuels are often uneconomical and toxic. Based on comparisons with conventional coal gasification the new system was 70 percent more energy efficient, yielded 40 percent more fuel and released 32 per cent less carbon dioxide!