The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has a long history of use when oil supplies have been limited. One of the first wide scale uses of the technology was employed in Germany during WWII to produce fuels [1]. First discovered in the 1920's, this type of chemistry is now performed under a variety of conditions. The two operating conditions are high and low temperature models. In the high temperature system, iron based catalysts are used to produce lower carbon chains, C1 - C15, mainly used for liquid fuel purposes [2]. Low temperature systems allow either cobalt or iron based catalysts for the production of long-chain linear hydrocarbons; currently most technology employs this system. Traditionally, feedstocks for the synthesis gas that serves as the starting material for Fischer-Tropsch chemistry include coal and natural gas. Recently, biomass has been proposed as a feedstock. While this process is not the most efficient conversion of biomass to energy, it is a convenient alternative fuel source during the generation of second generation biofuels.

[1] Storch, H.H., Golumbic, N., Anderson, R.B., 1951, The Fischer-Tropsch and Related Syntheses: Including a Summary of Theoretical and Applied Contact Catalysis, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.

[2] Khodakov, A.Y., Chu, W., Fongarland, P., 2007, Chem. Rev. 107, 1692-1744.