What Is an Example of a Synthetic Fuel?

An example of a synthetic fuel is Fischer–Tropsch synthetic diesel, a drop-in diesel produced by chemically converting synthesis gas (a mix of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) into liquid hydrocarbons. More broadly, “synthetic fuels” include liquids and gases such as e-kerosene, e-methanol, and green ammonia that are manufactured from feedstocks like captured CO2, water, and renewable electricity rather than pumped directly from petroleum. These fuels aim to cut lifecycle emissions while using existing engines and infrastructure.

A concrete example: Fischer–Tropsch synthetic diesel

Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthetic diesel is made by first creating synthesis gas (syngas) from a carbon source and hydrogen, then catalytically assembling those molecules into longer hydrocarbon chains. The resulting wax is upgraded into diesel-range fuels with very low sulfur and aromatics and a high cetane number, making it compatible with modern diesel engines.

The carbon and hydrogen can come from different places. Conventional production routes use fossil feedstocks—natural gas (gas-to-liquids, GTL) or coal (coal-to-liquids, CTL). Low-carbon versions replace fossil inputs with green hydrogen and captured CO2 (often via reverse water–gas shift to make CO), or with biomass (biomass-to-liquids, BTL). Tailpipe CO2 emissions are similar to petro-diesel, but lifecycle emissions can be much lower when the carbon is recycled and the energy used is renewable.

Where it’s being made today

Large commercial plants already produce fossil-based synthetic diesel (for example, GTL diesel in Qatar and CTL in South Africa). Low-carbon “e-diesel” and BTL diesel are at pilot and early demonstration scales in Europe and elsewhere, with limited batches produced over the past decade. Meanwhile, synthetic kerosene for aviation is taking the lead among low-carbon liquids, with small but growing deliveries from power-to-liquids projects in Germany and Scandinavia and more capacity under construction.

Other common synthetic fuels

Beyond FT diesel, several synthetic fuels are drawing investment and policy support. The items below highlight notable examples and how they are used today.

• Synthetic kerosene (e-kerosene, a type of Sustainable Aviation Fuel): Produced via power-to-liquids pathways (often FT) using green hydrogen and captured CO2. It is “drop-in” for jet engines. Early commercial deliveries began in Europe, and the EU’s ReFuelEU Aviation policy starts SAF blending mandates in 2025 with a dedicated sub-target for synthetic fuels from 2030 that ramps up over time.
• Methanol (e-methanol): Produced from green hydrogen and captured CO2. It is being adopted in shipping, with new methanol-capable vessels entering service and multi-year offtake deals signed since 2023. It also serves as a chemical feedstock and can be converted to gasoline (MTG) where desired.
• Ammonia (green ammonia): Made by combining green hydrogen with nitrogen via Haber–Bosch. It contains no carbon, making it attractive for maritime fuel and energy storage, though it raises NOx and safety challenges and may require onboard cracking or specialized engines.
• Dimethyl ether (DME) and oxymethylene ethers (OME): Oxygenated synthetic fuels that can substitute for LPG (DME) or blend with diesel (OME) to reduce soot. Pilot deployments in heavy-duty transport are underway.
• Synthetic gasoline (e-gasoline): Produced from CO2 and green hydrogen through FT or methanol-to-gasoline routes. Pilot plants—such as projects in Chile supplying small volumes for automotive testing—are demonstrating drop-in compatibility.

Together, these fuels illustrate the range of synthetic options: fully drop-in hydrocarbons for aviation and road transport, oxygenates that can blend with existing fuels, and carbon-free molecules like ammonia that require new handling and engine strategies.

Why it matters

Synthetic fuels promise compatibility with today’s engines, pipelines, and fueling systems, offering a decarbonization pathway for sectors that are hard to electrify—especially long-haul aviation and shipping. Their climate benefits hinge on using low-carbon electricity for hydrogen, sourcing carbon from atmospheric or biogenic CO2, and achieving efficient production. Costs remain higher than fossil counterparts, but policy is accelerating uptake: the EU is launching SAF blending mandates with a specific power-to-liquid sub-target from 2030, and incentives in the U.S. and elsewhere support low-carbon fuel production. Early plants are small, yet capacity announcements and offtake agreements are expanding rapidly into the late 2020s.

Bottom line

Fischer–Tropsch synthetic diesel is a clear example of a synthetic fuel, and closely related fuels—such as e-kerosene and e-methanol—are moving from pilots to early commercial use. Their success will depend on scaling renewable power and carbon capture, reducing costs, and aligning standards and policies to verify real lifecycle emissions reductions.

Summary

Example: Fischer–Tropsch synthetic diesel is a synthetic fuel made from syngas and refined into a high-quality, drop-in diesel. Other notable synthetic fuels include e-kerosene for aviation, e-methanol for shipping, green ammonia, and DME/OME blends. These fuels can leverage existing infrastructure but must be produced with low-carbon energy and carbon sources to deliver meaningful climate benefits, a transition now being nudged by emerging mandates and incentives.

What is an example of synthetic fuel?

Chemical Storage
Synthetic fuels, which are substitutes for oil and natural gas manufactured from coal or “biological waste”, are mainly for use as fuels for combustion engines in the transport sector. Such substitutes include synthetic crude oil (syncrude), methanol (CH3OH), ethanol (C2H5OH), and methane (CH4).

Can normal cars run on synthetic fuel?

The result is a liquid fuel that has all of the properties of its natural equivalent, which produces only around 15% of the emissions. In theory, any vehicles that run on petrol or diesel could also work perfectly on the synthetic alternative.

Why are synthetic fuels bad?

Cars powered by synthetic fuel emit as much poisonous nitrogen oxides (NOx) as fossil fuel engines, independent emissions testing shows. In a laboratory, research organisation IFP Energies Nouvelles compared for T&E the emissions from a car using petrol and three different blends of e-petrol.

What is an example of a synthetic gas?

Syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, may be used as a clean alternative to fossil fuels in generating electricity or for the production of liquid fuels such as synthetic diesel, dimethyl ether, and methanol (Lv et al., 2007).