GTL Viewpoint

Dmitry Popov, Vice President—Commercial, INFRA Technology Synthetic fuel production technology, known as GTL, was invented in the 1920s. One of the best-known ways to create synthetic fuel is through Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis. FT technology was initially developed in Germany to solve petroleum shortages leading up to World War 2. By 1944, Germany was producing 124 Mbpd of synthetic fuels from coal at 25 FT plants. Next-generation technology was developed in South Africa, which sought to support its economy without oil. In the 1970s, the technology evolved in Western Europe and the US. While the FT process itself is well proven, its application remains scarce because it requires large