The decarbonization and defossilization of the global energy system requires an effective interface between electricity as the primary form of energy with molecular energy carriers and chemical products. In July 1925, the two chemists Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch patented a process that 100 years later provides a major contribution to address this challenge and holds tremendous opportunities still for innovation.
Their fundamental research revealed that a mixture of the gases carbon monoxide and hydrogen could be transformed over suitable catalysts into liquid and solid hydrocarbons: the “Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis” was born. The CO/H2 gas mixture known as syngas can be generated from virtually any source of carbon and hydrogen, and the process had a multifaceted history using coal or natural gas as alternative to crude oil. Today, the prospect is to generate syngas from biomass or from CO2 and water with electricity from carbon-free technologies, opening “Power-to-X” pathways to fuels for mobility in hard to electrify sectors and to feedstocks for the chemical industry.
The conference will reflect the most recent developments in technology and application, and highlight fundamental progress in the understanding and improvement of the catalytic reaction. The scientific program will be placed in the context of the historical development and feature platforms to discuss the societal and environmental prospects of the Fischer-Tropsch Process for sustainable energy systems.
 |
Michael Claeys, University of Cape Town (UCT)/SA |
|---|---|
 |
Andreas Förster, DECHEMA e.V., Frankfurt am Main/D |
 |
Walter Leitner, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (MPI CEC), Mülheim an der Ruhr/D |
 |
Unni Olsbye, University of Oslo/N |
 |
Gonzalo Prieto, ITQ Institute for Chemical Technology (CSIC-UPV), Valencia/ES |
 |
Ferdi Schüth, Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim an der Ruhr/D |
In 2025 we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the filing of the Fischer-Tropsch patent, invented at what was then the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Kohlenforschung in Mülheim an der Ruhr. The two Max Planck Institutes in Mülheim together with DECHEMA and the SynGas Convention have joined forces to commemorate this groundbreaking discovery with a scientific symposium reflecting its growing importance for future energy and chemistry systems based on renewable sources. The programme includes keynote lectures by experts from China, Europe and USA.
We cordially invite you to submit your contribution as an abstract (1 page) for oral presentation or poster presentation. We welcome submissions both from academic institutions and industry, since syngas chemistry was always characterized by close interaction between companies and academia. While we are celebrating the Fischer-Tropsch process with this event, topics for presentations are not restricted to it; catalytic generation of syngas and its chemical conversion more broadly or the direct hydrogenation of CO2 to interesting products will also be subject of the conference. Slots for oral presentation will be 20 min long including time for discussion. There will be no parallel sessions, but a single session running throughout the conference.
Deadline for a paper submission is 15 January 2025
Please prepare an 1-page abstract with (incl. figures, max. size 1 MB).
Contributions will be selected by the scientific committee based on the scientific quality and the fit to the topic of the conference. The abstracts will be made available to the participants in collective form, but no special form of publication is planned for the contributions beyond that in order to ensure an open forum to discuss cutting-edge results.
The congress language is English.
Please note: Registration fee cannot be waived for authors.
Ivo Filot, Eindhoven University of Technology/NL |
Jorge Gascon, KAUST Catalysis Center/SAU |
Enrique Iglesia, Purdue University/USA |
Martin Keller, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)/USA |
Xiulian Pan, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP)/CN |
Andrea Ramírez Ramírez, Delft University of Technology/NL |
|
Founded in 2015 with a registered capital of 150 million yuan (CNY) and occupying 214,000 square meters, Hebei Xinpeng specializes in high-performance catalysts for petroleum refining and coal chemical industries. As a high-tech enterprise with import and export capabilities, it combines technology introduction, assimilation, and innovation, with a portfolio of proprietary technologies. Xinpeng is ISO-9001, ISO-14000, and ISO-45001 certified and has earned accolades including National High-tech Enterprise. Xinpeng's main product, the Fe-B-based Fischer-Tropsch catalyst, developed by the National Institute of Clean-and-Low-Carbon Energy, has been applied in CHN Energy and LU'AN CHEMICAL GROUP. The company also offers a range of additives and catalysts used by major enterprises such as Sinopec, PetroChina, and CNOOC, and has a long-term partnership with KBR. |
|---|---|
|
INERATEC produces sustainable fuels (e-Fuels) and chemical products manufactured in modular chemical plants using the power-to-X or gas-to-X process. Hydrogen produced from renewable electricity is converted with greenhouse gases such as CO2 into e-kerosene, CO2-neutral diesel, synthetic waxes, methanol or SNG. INERATEC has already implemented industrial-scale power-to-liquid plants at German sites to boost the availability of sustainable fuels and lead the way into the next era of mobility. |
|
Johnson Matthey together with bp |
|
|
|
Synfuels China Technology Co.Ltd. focuses as a technology provider on R&D in Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis technologies for Indirect Coal Liquefaction or Coal-to-Liquids and Gas-to-Liquids processes using coal, natural gas, or biomass as feedstocks, and has developed proprietary Medium-Temperature Slurry-Bed Fischer-Tropsch Process technology for the production of high-quality clean liquid fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Due to its breakthrough in indirect coal-to-liquids commercial technology, Synfuels China has won several awards, including the Outstanding Technological Achievement Award from Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the First Prize of National Energy Technological Advancement. |
Our support packages give institutions and companies the opportunity to make the conference more attractive to the Fischer-Tropsch community while increasing their own reach. Thanks to the support packages, the participation fees can be kept as favourable as possible, especially for students. We expect approx. 200 national and international delegates. At our 100-year anniversary you can connect with decision makers from both research and industry. Additionally, extensive pre-conference publicity will promote your organisation to the widest possible audience.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions:
Kristina Böhlandt - DECHEMA e.V. | Conferences and Committee Support
Phone.: 0049 69 7564 129 | E-Mail:
The two Max Planck Institutes at the Mülheim Chemistry Campus – MPI für Kohlenforschung and MPI for Chemical Energy Conversion - have teamed up with the SynGas Convention conference from Cape Town, South Africa, and with DECHEMA for a scientific celebration of this landmark discovery at the birthplace of the invention in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
Image source: CanvaPro@jakubgojda @Matheus Bertelli von Pexels
#100FischerTropsch
