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Hydrogen is produced by a series of chemical reactions, at a high temperature (about 900°C), in the presence of catalysts.

First, methane is combined with water:

CH₄ (methane) + H₂O (water) → 3H₂ (hydrogen) + CO (carbon monoxide)

The reaction then continues to convert the CO:

CO (carbon monoxide) + H₂O (water) → H₂ (hydrogen) + CO₂ (carbon dioxide)

The global reaction of reforming by methane is therefore:

CH₄ + 2H₂O →  4H₂ + CO₂

This reaction produces a gaseous mixture that contains H₂ and CO₂, but also traces of H₂O, CH₄ and CO that have not reacted, as well as nitrogen (N₂) that is often found mixed with natural gas. This mixture will be purified to obtain hydrogen.