Natural gas

By: Teni Debo-Lawal

  Natural gas is a combustible mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons
that accumulates in porous sedimentary rocks, especially those
yielding petroleum, consisting usually of over 80 percent
methane together with minor amounts of ethane, propane,
What is natural butane, nitrogen, and sometimes helium. It is used as a fuel and

gas? in making organic compounds.

 Natural gas is a fossil fuel, though global warming emissions
from its combustion are much lower than those from coal or
oil.
  The construction and land disturbance required for oil and gas
drilling can alter land use and harm local ecosystems by
causing erosion and fragmenting wildlife habitats and

Land use and migration patterns.

wildlife  When oil and gas operators clear a site to build a well pad,
pipelines, and access roads, the construction process can cause
erosion of dirt, minerals, and other harmful pollutants into
nearby streams.
Water use and
pollution
 Unconventional oil and gas development may pose health risks to nearby
communities through contamination of drinking water sources with hazardous
chemicals used in drilling the wellbore, hydraulically fracturing the well, processing
and refining the oil or gas, or disposing of wastewater.

 Naturally occurring radioactive materials, methane and other underground gases

have sometimes leaked into drinking water supplies from improperly cased wells.

 The large volumes of water used in unconventional oil and gas development also
raise water availability concerns in some communities.
Natural gas and its uses
 Natural gas is mainly compose of methane and a small amount of
other hydrocarbons. The composition makes natural gas a
valuable energy resource and a great asset to the global economy.
Its use is becoming more popular since it can be used in a variety
of sectors such as industrial, commercial, residential, electric
power generation, transportation etc.

 Industry : it is used to produce a wide range of products such as

plastics, paints, and ammonia for fertilizers. The amount of gas
consumed in industry is 27% of the total gas consumption

 Residential use: 21% of the natural gas consumed in the united

states is used for powering home appliances

 Commercial use: commercial buildings consume 14% of the gas

in the united states (space heating, water heating, air
conditioning, etc.)

 Transportation: natural gas is used to fuel vehicles(cars, trucks,

and buses) since it is cleaner and cheaper than gasoline or diesel.
Advantages
 Economy: natural gas is cheaper compared to other fossil fuels and
cheaper than electricity when used for supplying home appliances.

 Environment: it does not pollute the ground or the underground

water because its byproducts are in gaseous form. Another
important fact is that natural gas burns without releasing any soot
or sulfur dioxide.

 Transportation: transportation is made by sea (tankers) and land

(pipelines and small tanks). This allows natural gas to be easily
transferred from power plants to residential areas.

 multi-uses: natural gas is a multi-use fuel. It is used inside the

house for cooking, heating, drying, etc. it can be used for
generating electric power, powering vehicles(substituting for diesel
and gasoline), producing plastics, paints, fertilizers.

 It is currently the cheapest fossil fuel source for producing

hydrogen.
Disadvantages
 Flammable and toxic: natural gas leaks can be proven to be
extremely dangerous. Such leaks may be the cause of fire or
explosions. The gas itself is extremely toxic when inhaled. The
main risk comes from the fact that it is naturally odorless and
cannot be detected by smell, unless an odorant has been added
to the gas mixture.
 Environmental impact: when natural gas burns, carbon dioxide,
monoxide, and other carbon compounds are emitted in the
atmosphere contributing to the greenhouse effect.
 Processing: in order to use it as a fuel, all constituents other
than methane have to be extracted. The processing results in
several byproducts: hydrocarbons(ethane, propane, etc.), sulfur,
water vapor, carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen.
 Installation: the whole pipe installation may be very expensive
to construct since long pipes, specialized tanks, and separate
plumbing systems need to be used. Pipe leakage may also be
very expensive to detect and fix.
How is natural
gas made?
 The gas is found in layers of rock with tiny holes. The rock holds the
gas like a sponge. To bring it to the surface.
 As plants, animals, and microorganisms decompose, they are
gradually covered by layers of soil, sediment, and sometimes rock.
Over time, the tremendous heat and pressure created by the layers of
earth turned the animal and plant matter into natural gas and
petroleum(oil). That is why natural gas is called “fossil fuel”.
 Fun Fact
Raw natural gas is odorless.
Companies that supply natural gas
add an artificial smell to it, so
people will know if there is a
potentially dangerous leak. Most
people recognize this as the “rotten
egg” smell that comes from a gas
stove or oven.