Carl Mesters: Gas-to-liquids is a process where we take natural gas and convert that into liquids.
Carl Mesters is Chief Scientist for Chemistry and Catalysis for Shell. He’s talking about gas-to-liquids technology being developed for transportation.
Carl Mesters: Typically, you are used to transportation fuels being derived from crude oil. You start from an oil, and you convert that into different liquid products. Here you start from a gas.
Earth’s growing population means more vehicles, and more pollution. Mesters said the gas-to-liquids process leads to a cleaner-burning fuel.
Carl Mesters: Sulfur content in this gas-to-liquids product is virtually zero. So if there’s no sulfur in your liquid, there can’t be any sulfur emissions from that liquid.
Mesters said Shell started working in this area in the early 1970s. At first, they tried to create a liquid from coal. Later they switched to gas-to-liquids, ultimately leading to a plant in Malaysia that now produces 14,000 barrels each day. A second plant in Qatar will have 10 times that capacity. Gas-to-liquids fuels are now being tested in buses in China, commercial trucks in California, and other places.
Carl Mesters: We are basically testing them in every part of the world, and especially where environmental issues are very important.
Since the 1920s, interest in gas-to-liquid technology has waxed and waned, depending on availability of oil, according to Mesters.
Carl Mesters: In my life, the first time was in 1973, when we had what we call the first ‘oil crisis.’ And we foresaw in the early 80s that there would be a growing market for diesel-fueled cars compared to gasoline-fueled cars.
Mesters explained that natural gas, made of small molecules of methane, are linked together and converted into longer molecules such as what’s used in diesel fuel. It’s a three-step process where natural gas is heated to over a thousand degrees Celsius. That produces a waxy substance which is the building block that Mesters and colleagues use to create a variety of fuel products, including diesel, gasoline, and lubricants.
Carl Mesters: And that gives the fuel a much cleaner-burning, less particulate matter.
He spoke of several interesting gas-to-liquids trials now in progress.
Carl Mesters: One of the nicest, I thought, because it’s very close to my home town in the Netherlands, is a ferry between the Dutch mainlands and one of its islands going back and forth on this fuel simply to reduce emissions.
In 2008, gas-to-liquids fuels were also used by Shell to power a third straight win in the Le Mans 24-hour race. Mesters said he is excited about his work on gas-to-liquids fuels.
Carl Mesters: What I would like the public to know about gas-to-liquid technology is that it produces a superior liquid with respect to the properties in transportation, with respect to the envirnoment. It’s a technological challenge to improve that process. It’s very rewarding to be helping to bring this technology further. That’s a very challenging, but rewarding, job.
This podcast was made possible in part by Shell - encouraging dialogue on the energy challenge.
What are we waiting on to bring this technology to market? Lets do it, now!
I am glad they are testing it.
It’s all well and good that this fuel produces less pollution, but out big problem is carbon dioxide – greenhouse gases that are changing our climate. Interesting that that was not mentioned at all.
THIS IS NOT A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOLUTION. THEY ARE SPENDING PILES OF MONEY ON A SHORT-TERM SOLUTION. NATURAL GAS IS A FOSSIL FUEL, RIGHT?
I read about this some time ago. I really like this approach because I personally believe that Natural Gas is the key to all progress in sustainable fuels. Consider that all things decompose into NG (anerobically) and you start to see the potential. Consider this new system of economic development
1. produce products that are as biodegradeble as possible, packaging, Plastic from corn (PLA), boxes, paper with vegetable inks, disposeable coffee cups, plates , bowls, cutlery, etc, and get paid to produce these items.
2. take the waste back once people are done with its initial use, and get paid to take it away.
3. Produce bio-gas through anerobic digestion and sell the NG back to the NG grid, or use it for Combined Heat and Power, and get paid for both of those.
4. Collect the solids from the bio-gasification and sell them as a soil amendment for agriculture. Oh yeah and get paid for that.
This is what i cal eco-thug-enomics. Gettin paid to get paid, to save the planet.
I didn’t know you could ‘make’ natural gas…. are you sure about that, Warren? I don’t think that’s the same stuff as what comes off landfills…. I just don’t think it’s that easy.
My question is, is this cheaper gas I can put in my car? And can it be used more efficiently?
I think the most important aspect of this story is that it clearly demosntrates that many of the solutions to our current energy crisis, emissions problems, gobal warming, food shortages, etc, will most probably come from corporations and their scientists, eventhough in today’s anticorporate environment most are seen as evil entities. After all, only the private sector has the resourses needed to undertake the kind of changes needed. I for one do not think the government is qualified nor can it be trusted with any additional resourses to really tackle the problems we face. It’s great to hear that corporate scientists are having success with these new technologies!
There are no neat and easy solutions. If carbon is burned, the carbon dioxide spectre exists. Period. While not a pollutant and not causing global warming, it will be produced to irritate the global warming alarmists. If we switch to hydrogen, we will either break water molecules (an endothermic reaction)or go to breaking up natural gas. We will get carbon and hydrogen, and will use a tremendous amount of energy in the process. If we decide to go to electric cars, nuclear power is the only viable option, as using fossil fuels to generate the huge amounts of electricity necessary will produce more carbon dioxide than we now do. Wind, solar and hydro power will be but a drop in the bucket.
There are no free rides. Entropy is king. We must decide whether we wish to continue the Industrial Revolution or return to the Dark Ages. I, for one, vote for the Industrial Revolution.
what is a list of gas to liquid