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Volume 18
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Article

Driving Green: A Comprehensive Sustainability Analysis of Natural Gas-to-Methanol and Methanol-to-Gasoline Supply Chains

by
Hussein Al-Yafei
1,*,
Saleh Aseel
1,
Ahmed AlNouss
2,
Mohannad AlJarrah
1,
Nagi Abdussamie
1,
Ahmad Al-Kuwari
3,
Alaa Kerret
1,
Noman Abdul Ghafoor
1,
Muhammad Rizki Winarno
1,
Aisha Al-Bader
1,
Talal Al Tamimi
1 and
Suhaila Sabbah
1
1
College of Engineering and Technology, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Doha P.O. Box 24449, Qatar
2
College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar
3
Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2026, 18(1), 527; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010527
Submission received: 8 December 2025 / Revised: 24 December 2025 / Accepted: 27 December 2025 / Published: 5 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Energy Sustainability)
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Abstract

This study presents an integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) of the Natural gas-to-methanol (NGTM) and methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) pathways using Aspen HYSYS process modeling, Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA), and Life Cycle Costing (LCC). The results reveal significant variability in sustainability performance across process units. The DME and MTG Reactors Section generates the highest direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at 0.86 million tons CO2-eq, representing 54.9% of total global warming potential, while the Compression Section consumes 2717.5 TJ/year of energy, making it the dominant source of electricity-related indirect emissions. Distillation and Purification withdraws 31,100 Mm3/year of water—approximately 99% of total demand—yet delivers 86.6% of the overall economic surplus despite high operating costs. Social impacts concentrate in the Methanol Reactor Looping and DME and MTG Reactors Sections, with human health burdens of 305.79 and 804.22 DALYs, respectively, due to catalyst handling and high-pressure operations. Sensitivity results show that methanol purity rises from 0.9993 to 0.9994 with increasing methane content, while gasoline output decreases from 3780 to 3520 kg/h as natural gas flow increases. The findings provide process-level evidence to support sustainable development of natural gas-based fuel conversion industries, aligning with Qatar National Vision 2030 objectives for industrial diversification and lower-carbon energy systems.
Keywords: Natural Gas-to-Methanol (NGTM); Methanol-to-Gasoline (MTG); Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA); Aspen HYSYS simulation; sensitivity analysis Natural Gas-to-Methanol (NGTM); Methanol-to-Gasoline (MTG); Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA); Aspen HYSYS simulation; sensitivity analysis
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MDPI and ACS Style

Al-Yafei, H.; Aseel, S.; AlNouss, A.; AlJarrah, M.; Abdussamie, N.; Al-Kuwari, A.; Kerret, A.; Abdul Ghafoor, N.; Winarno, M.R.; Al-Bader, A.; et al. Driving Green: A Comprehensive Sustainability Analysis of Natural Gas-to-Methanol and Methanol-to-Gasoline Supply Chains. Sustainability 2026, 18, 527. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010527

AMA Style

Al-Yafei H, Aseel S, AlNouss A, AlJarrah M, Abdussamie N, Al-Kuwari A, Kerret A, Abdul Ghafoor N, Winarno MR, Al-Bader A, et al. Driving Green: A Comprehensive Sustainability Analysis of Natural Gas-to-Methanol and Methanol-to-Gasoline Supply Chains. Sustainability. 2026; 18(1):527. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010527

Chicago/Turabian Style

Al-Yafei, Hussein, Saleh Aseel, Ahmed AlNouss, Mohannad AlJarrah, Nagi Abdussamie, Ahmad Al-Kuwari, Alaa Kerret, Noman Abdul Ghafoor, Muhammad Rizki Winarno, Aisha Al-Bader, and et al. 2026. "Driving Green: A Comprehensive Sustainability Analysis of Natural Gas-to-Methanol and Methanol-to-Gasoline Supply Chains" Sustainability 18, no. 1: 527. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010527

APA Style

Al-Yafei, H., Aseel, S., AlNouss, A., AlJarrah, M., Abdussamie, N., Al-Kuwari, A., Kerret, A., Abdul Ghafoor, N., Winarno, M. R., Al-Bader, A., Tamimi, T. A., & Sabbah, S. (2026). Driving Green: A Comprehensive Sustainability Analysis of Natural Gas-to-Methanol and Methanol-to-Gasoline Supply Chains. Sustainability, 18(1), 527. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010527

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