Meaning & use
synthetic fuel
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
A fuel made by a chemical or industrial process instead of being taken directly from crude oil or coal.
Grammar: Can be uncountable when talking about the substance in general, or countable when referring to a particular type: a synthetic fuel.
Patterns
- produce synthetic fuel
- use synthetic fuel
- synthetic fuel from something
- a type of synthetic fuel
The airline is testing synthetic fuel made from captured carbon dioxide.
Synthetic fuels could power older engines without major changes.
The plant produces synthetic fuel from natural gas.
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
A liquid fuel manufactured to imitate the performance of petroleum-based fuels such as gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel.
Grammar: Often used in the plural when comparing products: synthetic fuels for aviation and shipping.
Patterns
- synthetic fuel for vehicles
- replace gasoline with synthetic fuel
- synthetic fuel production
Engineers are developing synthetic fuel for long-haul trucks.
The race car ran on a synthetic fuel that cuts soot emissions.
Synthetic fuels are not yet cheap enough for most drivers.
Word forms
| plural | synthetic fuels |
|---|
Common combinations
- produce synthetic fuel
- The company plans to produce synthetic fuel at a new plant in Texas.
- synthetic fuel from natural gas
- Synthetic fuel from natural gas is made using the Fischer-Tropsch process.
- synthetic fuel for aviation
- Synthetic fuel for aviation must meet strict safety standards.
- synthetic fuel production
- Synthetic fuel production remains more expensive than refining oil.
- a drop-in synthetic fuel
- This drop-in synthetic fuel can be used in existing engines.
Synonyms and how they differ
- biofuel
- Biofuel is made from living matter such as crops or algae, while synthetic fuel is made through chemical processes and may use non-living sources.
- alternative fuel
- Alternative fuel is a broader term for any fuel that is not standard petroleum, including natural gas, electricity, and synthetic fuels.
- e-fuel
- E-fuel is a specific kind of synthetic fuel made using renewable electricity; synthetic fuel can also be made from coal or natural gas.
Word family
- synthesize verb
- To make a substance by combining simpler materials through a chemical process.
- synthesis noun
- The process of combining parts or substances to make something new.
- synthetic adjective
- Made by chemical processes rather than occurring naturally.
Commonly confused: synthetic fuel or biofuel? synthetic fuel or fossil fuel?
synthetic fuel vs biofuel
A biofuel comes from recent plant or animal material, while a synthetic fuel is manufactured chemically and may come from fossil sources.
synthetic fuel vs fossil fuel
Fossil fuel is coal, oil, or gas formed underground over millions of years; synthetic fuel is man-made, though it can be produced from fossil feedstocks.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'synthetic fuel' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Synthetic fuel is a manufactured fuel, so it can be tested in an aircraft engine. Option An is wrong because fuel is not grown like a crop; option C confuses fuel with equipment; option D is nonsense because fuel is not food.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “synthetic fuel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.