Synthetic fuels and their application to internal combustion engines

In front of exhausting sources of crude oil and more and more growing demands related to emissions of internal combustion engines, the problem of synthetic fuels became very important. A method of obtaining synthetic gasoline from coal (hydrogenation of coal under high pressure) was patented by F. Bergius (1913) and developed in Germany. Later on, F. Fischer and H. Tropsch patented the method of obtaining liquid hydrocarbon fuels from synthesis gas (1926). This method is being applied at present. In the paper it is shown how synthetic liquid fuels may be produced, i.e.: from natural gas, from coal and from biomass. Methods developed for producing synthetic fuels from these feedstocks are described. Technologies of synthetic fuels production applied by Sasol and Mossgas in South Africa, Shell in Malaysia, and Choren in Germany are discussed. The production is based on Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Fischer-Tropsch diesel (FTD) fuel has better quality than diesel fuel (DF) derived from crude oil (higher cetane number, lower cold filter plugging point etc.) and its application to CI engines results in reduced emissions i ncomparison with DF. Percentages of reduction of NOx, HC, PM, CO2 and CO are shown. The problem of synthetic fuels production in Poland is presently very important on account of energy balance and diversification of feedstock import. Needs and challenges of FTD production in Poland are now discussed. The present paper goes ahead to meet this problem half-way