Fischer-Tropsch fuels

The fact that Fischer-Tropsch fuels contain neither sulfur nor aromatics may become a strong selling point for the process. Less sulfur in the fuel has, of course, a direct effect on the sulfur oxides in the emissions, and the newly developed exhaust purification systems for lean burning engines that can be introduced means that all emissions, including GO2 and NOx, will diminish. Aromatics promote particulate formation in the combustion of diesel fuels and are therefore undesirable. We discuss this further in Ghapter 10. 

The production of methanol from synthesis gas is a well-established process (23, 102), and there have been predictions that methanol itself could become the fuel of the future (103). Whether or not this prediction will prove correct is debatable4 meanwhile, Mobil suggests that coupling known methanol production technology with their new process provides an economically attractive alternative to both Fischer-Tropsch fuels and direct utilization of methanol (104). 

At the heart of the book stands the question of how the growing energy demand in the transport sector can be met in the long term, when conventional (easy) oil will be running out. Among the principal options are unconventional oil from oil sands or oil shale, synthetic Fischer-Tropsch fuels on the basis of gas or coal, biofuels,... 

Because of the low-sulfur, -nitrogen, and -aromatic content of Fischer-Tropsch fuels, there is renewed interest in these products. In two recent studies, Fischer-Tropsch diesel was evaluated and compared to an ultra-low sulfur California diesel and to a 49 cetane number, low-sulfur diesel. In the two studies, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbon, particulate, and carbon dioxide emissions were reduced in vehicles fuels by Fischer-Tropsch diesel. The fuel economy, however, was also reduced. The low aromatic content and high concentration of waxlike hydrocarbons in Fischer-Tropsch diesel can lead to the need for special handling and treatment of the fuel to prevent gelling when used in cold-temperature conditions. 

Maly, R.R., Effects of GTL diesel fuels on emissions and engine performances . Paper presented at the 2004 diesel engine emission reduction conference, 29 August - 2 September, 2004, Coronado, California May, M., Development and demonstration of Fischer-Tropsch fueled heavy-duty vehicles with control technologies for reduced diesel exhaust emission . Paper presented at the 2003 diesel engine emission reduction conference, 24-28 August, 2003, Newport, Rhode Island... 

One of the ways in which natural gas could be converted to liquid products is by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. In this process, methane is reformed with steam and oxygen to produce a synthesis gas that is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The synthesis gas is then reacted over a catalyst to produce a variety of fuels. However, recently the most emphasis has been on the production of high-cetane, sulfur-free diesel fuel. Fischer-Tropsch fuels can be produced at the equivalent of 14 to 20 a barrel of oil, and plants with capacities of 10 to 100,000 barrels a day have either been built or designed.1... 

FT 100 Neat Fischer-Tropsch fuel H2BNH2 Monomeric Aminoborane... 

Just as the fossil fuel and petrochemicals industries are closely connected, the production of the same but bio-based chemicals will be closely related to the manufacturing of biofuels. The focus of commercialization by using biomass as a feedstock is mainly on ethanol, biodiesel, butanol, hydrogen, Fischer-Tropsch fuels, methanol, methane, and MTBEyETBE (methyl- or ethyl-tert-butylether). These products can be used either as biofuels or chemicals for further converting. In the context of this chapter, only routes for the ethylene and propylene... 

Kreutz, T, Larson, E., Liu, G. and Williams, R. (2008) Fischer-Tropsch Fuels from Coal and Biomass Princeton Environmental Institute. Princeton University 25th Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference, 29 September-2 October. 

Furnsitm S. Outwitting the Dilemma of Scale Cost and Energy Efficient Scale-Down of the Fischer-Tropsch Fuel Production from Biomass. Saarbrucken, Germany VDM Verlag Dr. Muller 2009. 

Liu G, Larson ED, Williams RH, Kreutz TG, Guo X Making Fischer-Tropsch fuels and electricity from coal and biomass performance and cost analysis. Energy Fuel 25(l) 415-437, 2010. 

Fischer-Tropsch fuels are those made artificially using the FT process. Basically a fuel such as biomass, or even natural gas, is steam reformed using the methods described in Chapter 8. The product hydrogen and carbon dioxide are then reacted, over catalysts developed by Fischer and Tropsch, to produce liquid fuels such as octane, C9H20, C10H22, etc. 

In general, lower temperatures (160-220°C) and pressures (less than 20 atm) result in hydrothermal carbonization which gives a solid, carbonaceous product (biochar), which can be further gasified and used for Fischer-Tropsch fuel synthesis. The concept has been demonstrated on a lab scale using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Heihnann et al., 2010). 

Bienert, K., 2007. Fischer—Tropsch fuel synthesis. In 2nd European Summer School on Renewable Motor Fuels, 29—31 August, Warsaw, Poland. 

Kreutz, T.G., Larson, E.D., Liu, G., Williams, R.H., 2008. Fischer-tropsch fuels from coal and biomass. In Proc. 25th Annual Pittsburgh Coal Conf., 29 September—3 October, Pittsburgh, PA. 

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