Synthetic gaseous fuels have been produced for many years. The early processes were based on using heavy oils or coal in relatively low pressure cyclic thermal-operations which produced a gas of about 500 BTU/SCF. These processes disappeared from the United States with the advent of the natural gas production and transmission industry.
They also became uneconomical in other countries in the early 50's when the availability of low cost naphtha led to the commercial development of catalytic reforming of naphtha for the production of 500 BTU Town Gas.
Since the basic catalytic naphtha reforming process produces a lean gas high in hydrogen and carbon oxides and low in methane, considerable effort was expended to develop suitable process modifications to produce a gas high in methane so as to avoid theand lower -- and lower. Pro in fact finds that his notions of high living have become, due to the lowering effect already noted, more of an anti-poverty advert for UNICEF. He feels hungry, helpless and Hell-bound, surely a line for a Cockney to recite. Now back to the chase.

Seriously, out of the collapse of fortunes and the failure of hopes and dreams to materialize, there frequently appears evidence of an eternal, seemingly distant light -- not just when sought for, but when our defensive guard against saving grace is at its lowest ebb. In Pro’s case it came with the realization that somehow that life did not have to be a jumping-off place for despair; for him it came with dim memories of a time gone by,