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50 Uses of Natural Gas That Will Surprise You
50 Uses of Natural Gas That Will Surprise You
Natural gas as the name suggests occurs in nature. Formed by decomposing plant and animal
fossil matter accumulated and pressurized under the earth’s surface over millions of years. The
intense heat that the fossils are exposed to releases energy stored in the form of chemical
bonds they had obtained while on the earth’s surface.
Found sometimes as deep as 4500 meters under the earth’s surface, natural gas is found
trapped in sedimentary rocks in close proximity with petroleum. It’s always associated with
hydrocarbon coal bed reservoirs.
Natural gas is created in two ways, Biogenic and Thermogenic. Biogenic natural gas is formed
from living organisms found in marshes, bogs and landfills. It is found in shallow rock sediments.
Thermogenic natural gas is formed from buried organic matter and is found in deeper rock
sediments.
Natural gas consists of methane, propane, butane and ethane gases, the highest percentage is
methane. It is lighter than air, colorless and odorless. The smell of rotten eggs (methyl
mercaptan) is usually added by utility companies, to make leakages easier to detect.
Natural gas was first used by the Chinese who drilled wells and transported the gas using
bamboo pipes to boil saltwater and produce brine. It first came to the attention of the western
world when French explorers discovered Native American Indians igniting natural gas seeps.
William Hart dug the first natural gas well near Lake Erie, ushering the era of harnessing natural
gas as an important resource.
Over the years it has been heavily commercialized leading to hundreds of commercial and
domestic uses.
Transportation
Natural gas Vehicles are the next frontier in the production of clean fuel transportation. First
manufactured in the 1930s. The fitting of compressed natural gas(CNG) engine running on
pressurized methane has helped Natural gas vehicles to evolve and embrace all sectors of
transportation.
CNGs vehicle have slowly made tracks in the motor industry, companies like Volkswagen,
Mercedes, Citroen Dodge etc. have slowly increased the manufacturer of CNG vehicle units.
These cars cost less than automobiles running on petrol and diesel.
Several countries China, Pakistan, India, South American countries, the USA, Italy and many
others have increasingly embraced the use of Natural gas vehicles(NGVs.)
NGV’s are environmentally friendly, due to reduced carbon emissions, have high savings on
cost, enjoy extended maintenance intervals, and are operationally flexible. They are ideal in
combating climate change. However, their market penetration has been hampered by limited
fueling stations.
1. NGV Cars
According to Wikipedia, There are almost 9 million small NGV cars in the world about 120,000
are in the USA which has 1100 fueling stations. Iran has the highest number of NGV cars
followed by Pakistan and India. Italy dominates the NGV car market in Europe.
NGV cars have reduced exhaust emissions making them an attractive option for highly polluted
cities with worsening air quality. NGV car engines also last longer due to fewer contaminants
found in natural gas.
New NGV trucks and buses have been developed that are as powerful as their diesel-driven
counterparts and produce fewer carbon emissions. Goods, passengers and products are
transported to different destinations at a fraction of the cost without polluting too much air
pollution.
3. Agricultural machinery
Tractors are an important component in farming activities, Tractor companies are always
striving to develop machinery that is fuel-efficient, economical and environmentally friendly. New
Holland company produced the first methane-powered tractor, paving the way for CNG farm
machinery of the future.
The efficiency of CNG farm machinery is their ingenuity. The technology used in CNG tractors
uses biomass and natural gas to run more efficiently. It’s durable, has less running costs and is
cheaper. Combined with the use of other fuels its unparalleled performance.
4. Boat Fuel
A Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) engine developed for fishing vessels now powers the first
prototype twin mercury 300 hp engine mounted Blue Gas marine boat in North
Carolina. Running on methane, it is cleaner and more friendly to the environment.
The CNG boat engine has a fueling panel, CNG fuel tanks, pressure regulator, high and low fuel
lines with modified electronic controls unit sensors. Injectors have been retrofitted on both
Yamaha and Mercury engines and are expected to power the boats of the future.
5. Aeroplane Fuel
The first small plane to fly on CNG was christened Aviat Husky, made to run on both CNG and
aviation fuel it flew 1000 miles on its maiden journey, it had a top speed of 143 Miles per hour
quite impressive considering that an aviation fueled piper plane has a range of 1300 miles at a
top speed of 200 miles per hour.
Using CNG on light aircraft has several advantages, the fuel is cleaner with zero lead emission,
it is a timely solution to reducing dangerous emissions in piston-powered light aircraft engines.
6. Locomotives
CNG engine was retrofitted to power the first CNG powered locomotive operated by the Napa
Valley wine train that operates several railroads. In 2008 a new feature was added to the
locomotive, a more efficient, cost-effective computer-controlled fuel injection system.
Since 2005 Diesel run locomotives have been converted to run on CNG powered engines in
Peru. An installed computer-guided fuel injection system helps fire engines only when there is a
demand for power making them fuel-efficient.
Electricity Production
7. Gas-Fired Power Generation
The demand for electric power increases by the day, prompting for new and better ways of
generating power. Electricity generated by firing gas-run engines is cleaner, cheaper and has
lower emissions.
Natural gas-fired generating plants have been put up to tap into this efficient and
environmentally friendly resource. Others have been repurposed and gas pipelines reversed to
fire existing energy generating plants.
In 2018 electricity generated in the USA using natural gas-powered plants accounted for 29% of
all primary energy produced and consumed within the USA. In many parts of the world Middle
East, West and North Africa the bulk of electricity consumed is generated from natural gas-
powered stations.
Domestic uses
8. Cooking
The most common and known use of natural gas the world over is cooking. Natural gas
pipelines supplying gas for cooking are normal in developed countries. Many other nations are
following suit.
Several countries in the Middle East rely on natural gas for domestic cooking. Countries like
Qatar, Bahrain, Turkmenistan Trinidad and Tobago, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Algeria
Belarus and Oman rely almost 100% on natural gas for domestic cooking.
Natural gas provides better temperature control in both direct cooking and ovens and is a
preferred heat source by many chefs in the hotel industry and other commercial cooking
activities.
9. Heating water
It’s cheaper to use natural gas in heating water in homes than electricity, Natural gas heats
water faster making it more economical and efficient. Most people prefer using natural gas for
water in their homes as compared to electricity.
Fireplaces burning natural gas are cleaner providing the same heat, are healthier and friendlier
to the environment. Besides, it has better control of the flame since you can adjust the amount
of heat produced.
Commercial Uses
The most common heating system is the forced air heating, where natural gas burners are used
to heat air drawn from outside and forced through the burners and circulated by a blower fan
through ductworks to where it’s required.
Natural gas-powered unit heaters are a major source of energy use in commercial buildings and
many other enclosed environments.
Industrial Uses
17. Infrared Heating
Infrared gas-powered heaters act like mini suns. They burn natural gas to generate heat that is
then radiated downwards to warm objects, the floor, machinery, components, people and
anything that needs warming.
Propane natural gas burns inside a steel tube unit or ceramic surface that encloses the heater.
The heat from this surface is emitted in the form of infrared radiant energy just like the sun and
radiates downwards to warm everything underneath it.
Natural gas reacts with the panel of ceramic fibers in the platinum catalyst reacting with the
oxygen in the air and rapidly increasing the temperature without burning like a flame.
Co-firing is a process which combusts two or more materials to burn a new cheaper fuel and
more environmentally friendly. Biomass can be co-fired with waste-derived materials, destroying
the waste and in the processes producing heat for industrial processes.
In industrial co-firing, natural gas is used as a supplementary fuel in burning coal or other
biomass energy-producing fuel like wood. Natural gas improves the operational performance of
the boiler as it helps maintain a constant flame temperature. Co-firing is energy efficient and can
also be used to generate electricity.
They are installed on the rooftop and have the advantage of being decentralized ventilation
systems.
Manufacturing Uses
21. Air Mattresses
Air mattress or airbeds, are inflatable PVC mattresses developed using urethane plastic a
natural gas product, or other rubber versions. The deflated mattress can be rolled, carried and
stored in tight spaces. They are popular with campers and backpackers but can still be used in
the home.
They are inflated by blowing in a valve or with a manual foot-powered or electric pump.
23. Antifreeze
Coolants remove heat from combustion engines, the anti-freeze in coolants help lower the
water's freezing point and protect the engine against corrosion. Triethylene Glycol Liquid is
added to natural gas which prevents water particles from freezing and the pipes from corroding.
Adhesive bandages are made from polyethylene and ethylene monomer produced by cracking
natural gas which is diluted with steam and put in an oxygen-less furnace to react at
temperatures exceeding 850 degrees Celsius to produce the adhesive.
29. Formaldehyde
Natural gas plays a big role in the preservation of dead bodies. Formaldehyde is an important
substance in preservation of bodies in the morgue. It is made from natural gas used as a
feeding stock converted to a synthetic gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide in a process
called steam reforming.
Natural gas is exposed as a catalyst causing oxidation which when brought in contact with
steam forms a synthetic gas that produces methanol- Methyl Alcohol used to produce
formaldehyde.
Methanol is also used in the production of acetic acid a synthetic acid that has carboxylic acid
with antibacterial and antifungal properties.
31. Methanol
Methanol a basic raw material in several elements is produced when Natural gas is exposed as
a catalyst causing oxidation which when brought in contact with steam forms a synthetic gas
that produces methanol.
32. Glue
Methanol a product of natural gas is used as a feedstock in the manufacturing of glue.
33. Vinegar
Methanol a product of natural gas is used as a feedstock in the manufacturing of Vinegar.
34. Paint
Methanol a product of natural gas is used as a feedstock in the manufacturing of paint.
36. Detergents
Alkylbenzene Sulfonate is an excellent cleaning detergent that gives a lot of foam, it is produced
and marketed in powder and liquid form. Made from natural gas - propylene which undergoes a
process of attaching to benzene to form alkyl benzene which by sulfonation alkylbenzene
sulfonate is produced
43. Cellophane
Cellulose, acetate, celluloid used to produce cellophane is a product of natural gas.
In 1869 an American inventor John Wesley Hyatt discovered a synthetic plastic from natural gas
which could be mixed with cellulose and plasticized with the addition of camphor to make
celluloid.
Celluloid has been used ever since for the manufacture of plastic eyeglass frames
47. Combs
Celluloid a product of synthetic plastic from natural gas is used in the manufacture of celluloid
used in the manufacture of plastic combs
Celluloid a product of synthetic plastic from natural gas is used in the manufacture of celluloid
used in the manufacture of Billiard balls.
Natural gas is a less expensive and cleaner source of energy, but that is not the only benefit it
has. Natural gas has many other unlimited uses in the production and manufacture of several
products.