Is synthetic petroleum the missing link in the route to net zero?
Weaning our economy off liquid fuels could be impossible, so can we make them without the carbon emissions? Rachel Brazil surveys the scene
The impetus to develop synthetic petroleum stems primarily from our need to replace fossil fuels and move to net zero carbon energy sources. While technology for battery-powered cars is now well established, it’s unrealistic to expect long-haul or heavy aircraft flying on batteries. So the energy sector is re-examining some very old technologies for producing liquid fuels that might plug the gap, one of those being the process developed by German chemists Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch in 1925. They reacted syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, at high temperature and pressure to create long waxy linear-chain alkenes.
The challenge is to use alternative, sustainable feedstocks such as municipal solid waste or biomass, rather than the conventional coal or gas. For now, those involved in developing synthetic fuels are working hard to get both the technology and policy positions right.