Can you convert natural gas into gasoline?

Natural gas can be converted into gasoline. One process that transforms natural gas into liquid fuels such as gasoline is known as the Fischer-Tropsch method.

Established in the 1920s in Germany, the Fischer-Tropsch method works by initially decomposing natural gas into synthetic gas, which is a combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. A catalyst is then added to the mixture to enable carbon to bond with hydrogen and form new substances, such as gasoline.

The Fischer-Tropsch process is said to be costly and inefficient. Siluria Technologies, a company based in San Francisco, claims to have discovered a technique in converting the natural gas methane into gasoline using a mutated virus as a catalyst. This new process promises a cleaner and cheaper alternative to the methods used by traditional industrial refineries.