steam reforming

British  

noun

1. chem a process in which methane from natural gas is heated, with steam, usually with a catalyst, to produce a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen used in organic synthesis and as a fuel

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

steam reforming

Today, the dominant production method is steam reforming, which separates hydrogen from methane.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 2, 2026

Today, most commercial syngas is made by steam reforming of methane, a process that requires large amounts of water and heat and that also produces carbon dioxide.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 26, 2024

But that still doesn’t account for the natural gas that generates the hydrogen, powers the steam reforming process and runs the CO2 capture.

From New York Times ● Aug. 12, 2021

Methane could, in principle, also be transformed through direct oxidative carbonylation to acetic acid, which is commercially obtained through methane steam reforming, methanol synthesis, and subsequent methanol carbonylation on homogeneous catalysts17,18.

From Nature ● Nov. 28, 2017

Known scientifically as "unmixed steam reforming," the process used by Dupont was invented in the U.S.

From Time Magazine Archive