Alternative Jet Fuels Put To The Test

The tests, being run through Feb. 3 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California, are measuring the performance and emissions of two synthetic fuels derived from coal and natural gas using the Fischer-Tropsch process. These fuels have drawn attention because they have the energy necessary for commercial flight. The Fischer-Tropsch process is a chemical reaction in which a synthesis gas -- a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen -- is converted into liquid hydrocarbons of various forms. The process produces synthetic petroleum for use as a lubricant or fuel. The technology has been around for decades, but until now the high cost of building new plants to produce synthetic fuels has stymied interest. The United States does not have any Fischer-Tropsch plants, although synthetic fuel is produced using this process elsewhere in the world.