Petroleum from Coal

Anthony N. Stranges is Professor in the History Department at Texas A&M University. He teaches history of science, especially chemistry and chemical engineering. He has published several books and articles in various journals, including Isis, Technology and Culture, and Annals of Science.

• ContentsPrefacePermission AcknowledgementsList of Illustrations and TablesAbbreviations1 Overview of the Synthetic Fuel Industry1 Introductory2 Global Energy Situation 1910–90s: Energy Crises and Revivals3 Impact of Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) Revolution on Natural Petroleum and Synthetic Fuel Production4 Scientific and Engineering Advances in Synthetich Fuel Research and Development5 Economics and Politics of Synthetic Fuel Development6 Chapter Titles and Summaries7 A Note on Sources2 Friedrich Bergius, Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch: The Rise of the German Synthetic Fuel Industry1 Introductory2 Hydrogenation Begins3 First Industrial Application of High-Pressure Hydrogenation4 Friedrich Bergius: Background to High-Pressure Coal Hydrogenation5 IG Farben Process and Its Industrialization in Germany6 Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis7 Conclusion3 Germany’s Synthetic Fuel Industry 1927–451 Introductory2 Germany’s Energy Plan3 BASF-IG Farben’s Coal Hydrogenation Program4 Industrial Development of the F-T Synthesis5 Summary of Synthetic Fuel Industrial Development in Germany 1927–456 Labor Force in the Synthetic Fuel Plants7 Conclusion4 From Birmingham to Billingham: High-Pressure Coal Hydrogenation in Great Britain1 Introductory2 Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis and the Beginning of Coal Hydrogenation in Britain: Birmingham3 Coal Hydrogenation at the Fuel Research Station4 Influence of Variables on the Conversion Process5 Development of a Small-Size Continuous Plant6 ICI and the Billingham Plant7 Politics and Economics8 Conclusion5 Synthetic Fuel Production in Prewar and World War II Japan: A Study in Technological Failure1 Introductory2 Overview of Japan’s Coal Conversion Processes, Seven Year Energy Plan3 Development of Japan’s Oil Shale, Derived and Synthetic Liquid Fuel Sources to 19304 Government Support of Japan’s Synthetic Fuel Industry5 Oil Shale and LTC Emerge as Major Sources of Liquid Fuel6 Research and Development of the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis: A Promising Beginning7 Coal Hydrogenation: High Hopes but Little Success8 Japan’s IG Farben Connection9 Conclusion6 Canada’s Mines Branch and Its Synthetic Fuel Program for Energy Independence1 Introductory2 Early Concern for Fuel Supply3 Synthetic Fuel Research at the Mines Branch4 Wartime Developments on Synthetic Fuel5 Postwar Developments on Oil Sands Separation6 The Blair Report, Athabasca Conference, and the State of Canadian Fuel Research7 Canada’s Changing Energy Situation8 Conclusion7 The United States Bureau of Mines’ Synthetic Fuel Program 1920s–50s: German Connections and American Advances1 Introductory2 Early Bureau of Mines, European, and Japanese Research and Development of Derived and Synthetic Liquid Fuel3 Liquid Fuel Developments in the United States4 Development of the F-T Synthesis5 Early Research on Coal Hydrogenation6 Coal Hydrogenation and F-T Synthesis at the Bureau of Mines, the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act of 19447 The Demonstration Synthetic Fuel Plants in Louisiana, Missouri8 Industrial Development of F-T and Coal Hydrogenation9 Concluding the Bureau’s Synthetic Fuel Program8 Epilogue: Post-World War II Synthetic Fuel Development and the Emergence of Environmental Concerns1 Introductory2 Pre-World War II Small-Scale Synthetic Fuel Developments: Italy and France 1920s–40s3 Post-World War II Synthetic Fuel Developments: Sasol 1950s–2000s4 Post-World War II Synthetic Fuel Developments: United States 1960s–80s5 Fossil Fuel, Synthetic Fuel, the Environment6 Oil Crises 1990s, Oil Shale Fracking Revolution and Its Consequences7 ConclusionBibliographyIndex

"Petroleum from Coal: A Century of Synthesis is a foundational work on the history of synthetic fuels—thoroughly researched, rich in primary sources, and internationally comparative in scope. Of particular note is the outstanding archival work, which forms the backbone of the study and sets a methodological benchmark. [...] With this volume, Stranges has made a valuable contribution to the history of applied chemistry, industrial catalysis, and energy policy—one that is likely to serve as a reference point for future work in the history of chemistry and technology" – Christoph Kießling, in: Bulletin for the History of Chemistry (2025), p. 71"Detailed source material on synthetic processes from Germany and Japan, the countries defeated in World War II, were collected by Allied research teams. [...] In 1975, a project was initiated to gather as much material as possible in the archives of Texas A&M University. The author of this book, Anthony N. Stranges, was involved in establishing this collection at College Station, Texas. In 1984, he wrote his first article on the German development of synthetic fuels and thereafter continued to publish with some frequency in leading history of science journals. The book contains adaptations of six of his publications, the latest dating from the year 2000. The author and editor have paid special attention to thedesign of the book." – Ton van Helvoort, in: a target="_blank" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00026980.2025.2516365"> Ambix (2025), pp. 1-2