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Disclaimer—This paper partially fulfills a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. This paper is a student, not a professional, paper. This paper is based on publicly available information and may not provide complete analyses of all relevant data. If this paper is used for any purpose other than these authors’ partial fulfillment of a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, the user does so at his or her own risk.
THE FISCHER-TROPSCH PROCESS: THE OLD-SCHOOL SOLUTION FOR NEW SYNTHETIC AUTOMOTIVE FUEL
Forrest Fordham, , Sanchez 5:00, Derek Miller, , Sanchez 5:00
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ENGR0011/0711 Section
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Forrest Fordham
Derek Miller
Abstract— The Fischer-Tropsch Process is an age-old technique for manufacturing synthetic fuel that holds new potential in today’s automotive industry. The process works by combining carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas to form various hydrocarbons, which can be utilized as fuel for anything with an engine. For engineers, manufacturers, and environmentalists, the real-world applications of Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis are numerous. This paper discusses how the Fischer-Tropsch Process works, the conditions required for it to be conducted successfully, its history and conception, the benefits it provides for our fuel needs, as well as its drawbacks. One focus throughout the paper will be on the high levels of sustainability that Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis provides for the benefit of engineering and environmental communities. While the Fischer-Tropsch Process can be used commercially in many different areas, this paper primarily focuses on its niche in the automotive industry. To further inspect how auto makers are getting creative to better their products and the world around them, Audi’s new “e-fuel,” is discussed. The social, ethical, sustainability, and economic implications that surround the Fischer-Tropsch Process are then discussed. The main objective of this paper is to deliver an analysis that clearly captures the full scope of Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis as it is utilized in the world today.
Key Words— Automotive, Fischer-Tropsch, Fuel, Future, Process, Synthetic
A PERSPECTIVE ON FISCHER-TROPSCH SYNTHESIS
Fischer-Tropsch (FT) Synthesis is a key process that plays an integral role in the manufacturing of synthetic fuel. The process itself saw its beginnings in a laboratory in 1930s Germany, and while it proved to have uses at the time, scientists today are finding new ways to improve it and make it even more useful for today’s standards. Before delving into the science involved in FT Synthesis, this paper discusses the history that led to its conception right before the outbreak of World War II. The chemistry of the process involves the combination of hydrogen gas along with carbon dioxide to produce an array of various liquid hydrocarbons, which are then able to be used for fuel consumption. The ins and outs of the chemistry behind FT Synthesis are discussed, as well as the conditions and requirements needed to make it more efficient than its use in the 1930s. Dieter Leckel, PhD, is a chief scientist at the chemical and energy company Sasol (which will be discussed later in this paper). In his review on the concept of diesel production through FT Synthesis published in the Energy & Fuels Journal, he discusses that commercial use of FT Synthesis began in 1934 and has skyrocketed since [1]. While the process is used among many industries today for energy and fuel production, the goal of this paper is to focus on how the automotive industry is utilizing the FT Process in their production to move away from the outdated means of fossil fuels. Particularly, Audi’s revolutionary “e-fuel” is thoroughly discussed as it is a leading example in the industry of new and innovative fuel production. While it is easy to glamorize the uses and applications of FT Synthesis, the drawbacks and complications of the process are also discussed. Reflecting on the process’s societal impacts must be viewed from several angles, meaning that while environmental benefits and fuel manufacturing are a large focal point of this paper, it will also look at the FT Process through scopes that observe the ethical, sustainability, and economic overtones. This paper does not only introduce a process that holds potential in today’s auto and alternative energy industries, but also aims to capture the full essence of FT Synthesis and its overall influence on the direction of today’s society.
AN INTRODUCTION TO SYNTHETIC FUEL
A Clean Slate: The Pursuit for Something Better for Our Fuel Needs
In today’s industry, engineers, scientists, and environmentalists alike strive further and further to achieve clean environmental standards and alternative means of energy at a time where a significant change from our old ways is crucial. One of the initiatives being taken in the goal of weaning off fossil fuels is the pursuit of alternative energy, including cleaner-burning fuels that will no longer emit carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere. One of the most promising solutions to the fuel dilemma lies in synthetic fuels. Synthetic fuel differs from traditional fuels in the sense that it can be made from abundant materials and it burns much cleaner. One of the leading techniques in the quest for better fuel sources is a process that is nearly a century old, FT Synthesis.
When addressing FT Synthesis as a “clean slate,” the primary goal is to focus on a key aspect that all engineers and scientists consider when discovering and developing new innovations: sustainability. A process/technology can be truly groundbreaking, but without a way to sustain it, it has already crashed before liftoff. Now what exactly makes something sustainable? Most would describe sustainability as something’s ability to maintain itself indefinitely. What many fail to identify though, is the environmental, economic, and social factors that uphold what sustainability actually is. A key trait that makes FT Synthesis special is its aspects of sustainability that span across all three of these fields.
The FT Process: The Best Means of Making Synthetic Fuels Commonplace
Synthetic Fuel can be produced in a multitude of ways, but FT Synthesis proves to be the best method due to its relative simplicity, the abundance of its “ingredients”, and its ability to not only stay relevant, but become more relevant to today’s needs nearly a century after its conception. Xuping Li, Paul Anderson, Huei-Ru, Molly Jhong, Mark Paster, James F. Stubbins, and Paul J. A. Kenis are all various members of the engineering departments at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and/or researchers on carbon neutral energy at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan. In their study on environmental effects and implications of FT Synthesis published in the Energy & Fuels journal, they remark that through FT Synthesis, we hold the ability to become an energy-independent and carbon-neutral society [2]. Such a powerful utility is vital for the world’s advancement where traditional, outdated fossil fuels are dwindling rapidly.
A BRIEF HISTORY
From Dark Beginnings
Like many powerful scientific discoveries, the FT Process was originally used as a fuel for evil. In his article on FT Synthesis published in the TIME International Journal, Alex Perry, an author for TIME magazine, describes that the process first appeared during the dark uprising of Nazi Germany in 1923, where scientists Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch explored new ways to turn coal into liquid fuel [3]. During the time, oil production in Germany was scarce, but the coal there was abundant. Leckel’s article mentions that after Fischer and Tropsch’s breakthrough discovery, it would not be long until the chemical company Ruhrchemie A.-G. would use the process for commercial use in their industry in 1934 [1]. Ruhrchemie can be considered the first appearance of industrial use of FT Synthesis when they used it to turn coal into synthetic gasoline as a means for energy. After Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in 1933, militaristic expansion across Western Europe became easy due to the German’s newfound ability to turn their coal sources into synthetic fuel that could power their machines of war. In 1936, the first industrial plant based solely off FT Synthesis began production to power the German army, and by the 1940s, the Germans had added twelve coal hydrogenation plants, as well as nine FT (FT) plants to their arsenal, producing over one million tons of Synthetic Fuel annually for their war efforts. FT plants primarily focused on converting gas to liquid fuels, while coal hydrogenation plants converted coal to liquid fuel. Through Fischer and Tropsch’s discovery, the Germans could continue supplying their fuel needs. FT Synthesis helped the Germans sustain their power and relevance during the war. The Process however did not solve every problem facing the Germans. Because of the poor quality of the diesel yielded from the FT Process (gas to liquid synthesis), Leckel writes that FT plants took a backseat on the mission of creating synthetic fuels and contributed about 9.1% of the total German oil supply while coal hydrogenation took the lead in the efforts [1]. See Figure 1.
FIGURE 1 [1]
A typical schematic for FT Plants in war-era Germany
Figure 1 displays a typical schematic diagram that a German FT Plant would use to show the various results they could obtain through FT Synthesis in their production. Some of the products that could be produced included kerosene, waxy heavy oil, and gas oil, while some of the byproducts after FT Synthesis were tail gas and reaction water.
FT Synthesis in South Africa
Following World War II, Clive “Slip” Menell, a South African entrepreneur, purchased the rights to FT Synthesis for use in South Africa. By 1950, the new Nationalist Party of South Africa began Sasol, a company that aimed to make profit by converting abundant South African coal to gasoline through the means of FT Synthesis. Perry’s article states that during the 1970s, Sasol kept a struggling South Africa afloat in a time where heavy international sanctions negatively affected the apartheid-enforcing government [3]. FT Synthesis managed to keep an entire country’s economy alive due to its unique characteristics and valuable economic sustainability. Sasol took another step in the advancement of FT Synthesis, as it utilized more advanced methods of FTS, as well as integrated multiple variants of the process into industrial production of synthetic gasoline. In Leckel’s article, he writes, “It was the first integrated plant that combined two variants of the Fischer−Tropsch process, the M.W. American Kellog Co. HTFT process, using circulating fluidized bed (CFB) reactors at 2 MPa and 340 °C and Germany’s fixed bed Arbeits-Gemeinschaft Lurgi and Ruhrchemie (ARGE) LTFT process, operating at 2.7 MPa and 230 °C” [1]. Perry’s article continues to state that since its conception as the first gas to liquid chemical and energy company in 1950, Sasol now has a market cap of $32 billion, accounts for 38% of South Africa’s fuel needs, and has expanded to many other countries across the globe [3]. Sasol has employed and integrated new methods of FT Synthesis on a commercial scale that has escalated the process into its modern version today.
THE CHEMISTRY BEHIND FISCHER-TROSPCH SYNTHESIS
The Basic Process
When “synthetic fuel” is mentioned in this paper, it is simply referring to mixtures of various hydrocarbons that can be used as fuel for engines, machines, etc. A hydrocarbon qualifies as any molecule, regardless of size, that contains hydrogen atoms bonded with carbon atoms. In their article on carbon neutral fuels published in the Applied Catalysis B: Environmental Journal, Yo Han Choi, Youn Jeong Jang, Hunmin Park, Won Young Kim, Young Hye Lee, Sun Hee Choi, and Jae Sung Lee, who are all nuclear and/or chemical engineers at Pohang University of Science and Technology and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology both located in South Korea, describe that the way that typical FT Synthesis yields synthetic fuel is through the polymerization, or combination, of carbon monoxide gas (CO) and molecular hydrogen (H2) [4]. This combination of gases is what is referred to as “syngas,” which later becomes the liquid fuel in production. While the “traditional” method of producing synthetic fuel through FT Synthesis involves simply carbon monoxide and molecular hydrogen, a method that has been growing in popularity is a more complex, yet more reliable and attractive option that is still FTS down to its core- Catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide. Catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide (CO2) fully incorporates the FT Process to yield synthetic fuel, but just adds some elementary steps that add huge potential to the process. The process involves the combining of carbon dioxide and hydrogen molecules, in a 1:3 ratio, to produce carbon monoxide and large amounts of water. The extra water is utilized to deactivate the catalyst used in the reaction (traditionally containing iron), and the carbon monoxide is then put to use through the familiar form of FT Synthesis [4]. One of the largest concerns today is the looming threat of global warming, which stems from the vast amounts of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere on a daily basis. The goal behind catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide is to utilize the principles of carbon capture and utilization, also known as CCU, and FT Synthesis together, to essentially use the products from consumed synthetic gas (carbon dioxide and water) as fuel to start the process all over again. Choi et al. state that in doing so, catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide, hand-in-hand with FT Synthesis, provides fuel that is completely carbon neutral [4]. A key factor that adds to the sustainability benefits of FT Synthesis is its ability to sustain itself- by using its own waste from CCU, the process holds the potential to cut carbon emissions substantially, if not completely in the coming years.
While catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide seems like a perfect solution to producing synthetic fuel, it does not come without its drawbacks. The carbon hydrogenation/FTS duo primarily produces relatively light hydrocarbons (normally less than 5 C atoms in a chain), which is not considered ideal for fuel used in vehicles [4]. Choi et al. are working to find solutions to improve this process, one of which involves cutting out the extra steps and creating a method that converts carbon dioxide straight into liquid fuel through FT Synthesis [4]. A similar method, which converts carbon dioxide to diesel via Fischer Tropsch Synthesis, is being exercised by car manufacturer Audi, but will be discussed in greater detail later in this paper. See figure 2.