The concept of syngas dates back to the 19th century during the development of coal gasification technologies. Early “town gas” used for lighting and heating was essentially a crude form of syngas produced by coal pyrolysis.
In the early 20th century, German scientists developed the Fischer–Tropsch process, which converted syngas into liquid hydrocarbons. This became especially important during World War II when countries with limited crude oil resources relied on coal-derived syngas to produce synthetic fuels.