Methanation is the conversion of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide (CO) to methane (CH) through hydrogenation. The methanation reactions of CO were first discovered by Sabatier and Senderens in 1902.
CO methanation has many practical applications. It is a means of carbon oxide removal from process gases and is also being discussed as an alternative to PROX in fuel processors for mobile fuel cell applications.
Methanation as a means of producing synthetic natural gas has been considered since the 1970s. More recently it has been considered as a way to store energy produced from solar or wind power using power-to-gas systems in conjunction with existing natural gas storage.