At a high temperature and pressure, gasification converts coal, or other carbon fuels, into synthesisgas that is either burned in a turbine to produce electricity, as in Summit's case, or turned into other products, like diesel oil, fertilizer and pipeline-quality natural gas.
The future of a technology that converts dirty cheap coal into clean natural gas for transportation fuel was underscored last night by a Chinese investment in Synthesis Energy Systems(SYMX, NASDAQ), a small Houston company that holds a valuable license for this transforming technology.