SYNTHETIC FUELS - THE CHEMICAL ENGINEER'S PERSPECTIVE.

Following two periods of accelerated activity in 1973 and 1979 to develop fuel alternatives to petroleum, particularly for transport uses in the U. S. , an oversupply of crude oil resulting from conservation and lessened industrial activity has led to deferral or cancellation of many synthetic fuels research and development programs and related projects. In a 1983 pamphlet, 'U. S. Alternate Energy Needs: The Syntheitc Fuels Program,' the American Institute of Chemical Engineers outlined the significant risks this decrease in emphasis poses for the future economic and political climates in the U. S. With worldwide consumption of petroleum substantially exceeding new discoveries, and because of the political uncertainty associated with major sources of petroleum to the U. S. and its allies, this country should have a viable synthetic fuels alternative. This report briefly reviews some of the available or potentially available technologies.