Synthesis Gas as a Source of Fuels and Chemicals: C-1 Chemistry

This chapter is concerned with the present and future uses of synthesis gas as a source of fuels and chemicals. Synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in various ratios, is important both as a fuel and as a feedstock for chemical synthesis. Fully developed processes are available for producing it from natural gas, petroleum, petroleum derivatives, and coal. Synthesis gas, in fact, can be made from almost any organic material, including biomass and organic wastes, and increasingly diverse raw materials may find use in the future. The composition of the raw synthesis gas produced can vary widely, depending on the process technology and the quality of the raw materials (especially their hydrogen-to-carbon ratios and their reactivities).