In the gas universe, syngas, or synthesis gas – a mixture of gases consisting of hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO₂), with trace amounts of methane and water vapour – is attracting increasing attention from major chemical and new fuel producers.
It is not a primary energy source: rather, it is a chemical intermediate derived from natural gas or even biogas, a sort of industrial wild card that can be transformed into many other products, whose nature depends on where it is generated. And this is precisely its strength.

Nowadays, syngas has various uses. It can be employed as a direct energy source to power turbines. It can generate “synthetic” diesel and jet fuel through Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. It can be utilised for hydrogen production with all its derivatives, both in chemical processes and as a potential carrier, and be highly decarbonised. Furthermore, it is a truly important intermediate for the synthesis of compounds that may become relevant for decarbonisation, for methanol, for low-carbon fertilisers and for decarbonised marine fuels such as ammonia, and it can even be obtained from the gasification or pyrolysis of plastic waste to fuel productive recycling “from waste to energy”.

In order to maximise its role as an intermediate in decarbonisation processes, it is necessary to pay attention to the sources from which syngas is synthesised. “Currently, the main initiatives are still focused on traditional fossil raw materials, placing a strong emphasis on emissions mitigation and efficiency, thus reducing the amount of fossil feedstock used to produce the same amount of product,” explains Menica Antonelli, Incremental Innovation Head of Department at KT Tech, Nextchem (MAIRE group), a leading player in the sector for the creation of new technologies and plant construction.

Syngas for decarbonisation

Long term, however, the outlook changes significantly. Even in the oil and gas sector, work is ongoing on alternative processes for generating syngas without the use of fossil fuels. “In recent years, we have seen a sharp deceleration. The technologies exist or are under development, but a suitable international regulatory framework is still needed. For many operators, the course has been set.” According to Maire's experts, these technologies have a future, but they need to find an economic optimum via both market and regulatory mechanisms.

This does not mean that low-carbon technologies and projects are not being developed. For example, there is a lot of interest in producing syngas using non-recyclable inorganic and organic waste. Last year, the subsidiary Nextchem signed a design contract with Altalto Ltd for a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in Immingham, Lincolnshire, UK. The plant will be one of the first to convert waste into syngas, then transform and refine it into high-quality sustainable fuels. The initiative, expected to be operational in 2030, will produce 30 million litres of SAF per year (equivalent to approximately 23,000 tonnes), in line with the UK's SAF Mandate aimed at reducing emissions in the aviation sector. Fuel will be obtained from municipal solid waste (MSW) and commercial and industrial waste (C&I), thus transforming waste into strategic resources.

Syngas for hydrogen

“Another area of interest is hydrogen, which has various significant uses,” explains Paolo Mazzara, Commercial & Business Development Head of Department at KT Tech. Syngas, in fact, contains carbon monoxide and hydrogen; the hydrogen concentration is increased by causing the carbon monoxide to react with water vapour in a process called water-gas shift (WGS). Grey hydrogen (from fossil hydrocarbon feedstocks), blue hydrogen (fossil hydrocarbon feedstocks with CCS) or green hydrogen (from biomass or waste) or ammonia are produced.

“As far as blue hydrogen is concerned, one of the largest projects we have contributed to is in the port of Antwerp with the American industrial gas giant Air Products, a major producer and supplier of technical gases,” continues Mazzara. “Here, the proximity of old depleted oil fields in the North Sea made it possible to inject CO2 removed from the process at a relatively low cost, rendering this project economically competitive. This shows how crucial it is to carefully assess the resources available in the area when choosing processes.”

Among the technologies to produce low-carbon blue hydrogen is NX eBlue, a process based on electrified steam methane reforming (eSMR) and developed by Nextchem through its subsidiary KT Tech. “This technology, previously applied in a project in the United States, significantly reduces CO₂ production and integrates carbon capture to further minimise emissions, providing operational flexibility and scalability. We are very proud of this achievement, which places Nextchem at the forefront of the electrification of the hydrogen production process from hydrocarbons,” concludes Antonelli.

New frontiers for biohydrogen

In the future, the group also envisions the production of syngas from biogas to generate biohydrogen. The direct conversion of renewable gas into bio-LNG or biomethane is very energy-intensive, with reduced overall efficiency, high industrial costs and less flexibility of use compared to intermediate conversion into syngas. “It is not that the conversion of biogas into syngas and therefore biohydrogen is absolutely competitive in terms of costs compared to direct conversion into LNG, but it is likely that new subsidies will emerge over time,” adds Mazzara. “We believe that two competitive trends will emerge: in areas with a high concentration of biomass, it will be converted into biohydrogen via syngas, whereas in more localised production areas, LNG production will become inevitable.”

The possibilities therefore remain wide open. The future of syngas as an intermediate will be determined by a mix of market forces, regulations and industrial strategies linked to a new phase in chemistry and advanced decarbonisation plants.

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