E-Methane

E-methane is synthetic methane (CH4) made by reacting green hydrogen with CO2 in the Sabatier reaction, a nickel-catalyzed methanation discovered by Paul Sabatier in 1897, run near 300 to 400 degrees C. The product is chemically identical to fossil natural gas, so it is a drop-in fuel for LNG carriers, LNG-fueled dual-fuel engines, and existing bunkering infrastructure with no engine change. Combining electrolysis with methanation runs about 50 to 60 percent efficient, with much of the input energy lost as heat. As an RFNBO under FuelEU Maritime its well-to-wake carbon balance approaches zero only when the CO2 is biogenic or captured from air, and unburned methane slip erodes the gain.