Substitute natural gas

Substitute natural gas (SNG), or synthetic natural gas, is a fuel gas (predominantly methane, CH4) that can be produced from fossil fuels such as lignite coal, oil shale, or from biofuels (when it is named bio-SNG) or using electricity with power-to-gas systems.

SNG in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or compressed natural gas (CNG) can be used in road, rail, air and marine transport vehicles as a substitute for costly fuels like diesel and petrol. The carbon footprint of SNG derived from coal is comparable to that of petroleum products. Bio-SNG has a much smaller carbon footprint compared to petroleum products. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) can also be produced by synthesising SNG with partial reverse hydrogenation at high pressure and low temperature. LPG is more easily transportable than SNG, more suitable as fuel in two-wheeler or smaller horsepower vehicles and engines, and also fetches higher price in international markets due to short supply.

Renewable electrical energy can also be used to create SNG (methane) via for example electrolysis of water or via a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) in reverse to create hydrogen, which is then reacted with CO2 from for example, CSS/U Utilisation in the Sabatier reaction.

CO2 + 4H2 → CH4 + 2H2O
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