Fischer-Tropsch process

The Fischer-Tropsch process, named after the German chemists who invented it in 1923, is a chemical reaction for catalytically synthesising hydrocarbons from carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

The process is especially used to transform solid hydrocarbons such as coal, or gaseous hydrocarbons into liquid fuel, a sort of synthetic petroleum. These are the CTL (Coal to Liquids) and GTL (Gas to Liquids) industries.