ABSTRACT
Since the discovery in 1902 by Sabetier and Senderens that carbon monoxide could be converted to methane [1], extensive research efforts have been maintained on other processes based on synthesis gas. These efforts have been generally spurred by political necessity, represented by surges in the technology in Germany during World War II, in modern-day South Africa, and during the oil crises of the 1970s. As a result of these synthesis gas programs, it is now apparent that most petrochemical feedstocks can be emulated using synthesis gas. Therefore, in principle, acetic acid can be derived from synthesis gas using any of the known oxidation technologies by indirect, presently cost-ineffective, generation of the appropriate hydrocarbon feedstock. Clearly, the generation of acetic acid from feedstocks ordinarily regarded as being of petroleum based origin is not presently economical or part of this book chapter. However, several approaches to acetic acid using synthesis gas or synthesis gas-based feedstocks alone have been developed.
