Fischer-Tropsch Process

Name:
Fischer-Tropsch Process
Detailed information:
Synthesis of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons or their oxygenated derivatives from the carbon monoxide and hydrogen mixture (synthesis gas) obtained by passing steam over hot coal. The synthesis is carried out with metallic catalysts such as iron, cobalt, or nickel at high temperature and pressure. The process was developed in Germany in 1923 by F. Fischer and H. Tropsch and was used there for making synthetic fuels before and during World War II. It has never been used for this purpose in the U.S.; the only coal-to-gasoline conversion plant using this process is Sasol in South Africa, though the closely related Lurgi process is being used rather extensively in a number of locations. Easing of the petroleum crisis has tended to diminish conversion activity in the U.S.