Siluria converts methane, the primary ingredient in natural gas, into liquid fuels and chemical intermediates.

FORBES: Paul Allen's Vulcan Backs Natural-Gas-To-Fuels Startup Siluria Technologies

The primary difference between bitumen and ordinary crude is the size of the hydrocarbon molecules: in liquid oil, these molecules contain between five and twenty carbon atoms, while in bitumen they contain more than twenty. (At room temperature, pure bitumen is so viscous that it will not flow.) The main job of the upgrader is to break down the oversized hydrocarbons into smaller units.

NEWYORKER: Unconventional Crude

Importantly, these bets provide a liquid market for credit risk, which lowers the cost of hedging for those with primary exposure, and provides the market with better information about whether Greece or General Electric is a good credit risk.

FORBES: Credit Derivatives Don't Kill Countries, Politicians Do