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Fischer TropschFischer-Tropsch (FT) refers to the exothermic catalytic synthesis of hydrocarbons (CxHy, where y typically is 2x+2) from a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), called synthesis gas. Typical catalysts used are based on iron and cobalt. This process was invented by Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch in petroleum-poor but coal-rich Germany in the 1920s, to produce liquid fuels. Currently, two companies have commercialised their FT technology. Shell in Bintulu, Malaysia, uses natural gas as a feedstock, and produces primarily low-sulfur diesel fuels. Sasol in South Africa uses coal as a feedstock, and produces a variety of synthetic petroleum products. The FT process is an established technology and already applied on a large scale, although its popularity is hampered by high capital costs, high operation and maintenance costs, and the relatively low price of crude oil. In particular, the use of natural gas as a feedstock only becomes practial when using "stranded gas", i.e. sources of natural gas far from major cities; otherwise, the direct sale of natural gas to consumers would become much more profitable. Combination of biomass gasification (BG) and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis is a very promising route to produce renewable or green transportation fuels.
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