To improve the economy of the hydropyrolysis process by reducing the cost of hydrogen, it has been suggested that cheaper hydrogen-rich gases (such as coke-oven gas, synthesis gas) could be used instead of pure hydrogen. Pyrolysis of Chinese Xianfeng lignite was carried out with real coke-oven gas (COG) and synthesis gas (SG) as reactive gases at 0.1-5 MPa and at a final temperature up to 650 degrees C with a heating rate of 5-25 degrees C min(-1) in a 10 g fixed-bed reactor. The results indicate that it is possible to use COG and SG instead of pure hydrogen in hydropyrolysis, but that the experimental conditions must be adjusted to optimize the yields of the valuable chemicals.