SYNTHETIC FUEL TECHNOLOGIES AS STRATEGIC PATHWAYS

The need for increasing amounts of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons all over the world, states in a pressing way the problem of turning to new nontraditional energy sources and forms. This article analyzes and discusses the global and strategic value of the technologies suitable for exploiting, on a large scale, oil shales, tar sands, and coals in order to get liquid and gaseous fuels. On the basis of some specific projects, adopting totally or partially new extraction/conversion technologies, estimates of production cost and global impact on the economic system have been carried out. It becomes clear that current production costs for the various scenarios are much higher than the average prices of oil and gas; nonetheless the manifold advantages recommend adoption of these systems in all countries. Among the advantages are the numerous geographical areas of the original energy sources, the stabilization of prices, the subsequent international equilibrium of supply, the rise and development of induced and related industries and services, an increase of employment, and an environmental qualification of the derivatives. Finally, it is emphasized that higher prices for all synthetic liquid and gaseous fuels must be considered inevitable to foster and enable an increasing number of nontraditional energy sources and systems.