Natural gas
Deep beneath the Earth's surface, layers of organic matter from marine microorganisms have been transforming for millions of years. This process occurs under oxygen-free conditions where intense heat and pressure thermally decompose the decayed organisms. The energy originally captured by these ancient life forms through photosynthesis becomes stored as chemical energy within methane molecules. Scientists distinguish between two primary formation pathways: biogenic processes that produce gas quickly and thermogenic processes requiring much longer periods of time. Thermogenic gas forms when organic matter is heated and compressed deep underground over vast geological timescales. Methanogenic organisms also contribute to this cycle by producing methane from carbon dioxide in specific environments.
Ancient Greece witnessed natural gas flames at Mount Chimaera which contributed to legends of fire-breathing creatures. In 400 BC, Chinese engineers began using gas seeping from the ground to boil salt water in the Ziliujing District of Sichuan. They transported this fuel through crude bamboo pipelines to reach their industrial needs. French missionaries observed American Indians setting fires to natural gas seeps around Lake Erie during the seventeenth century. William Hart dug the first commercial natural gas well in Fredonia, New York, in 1821. This venture led to the formation of the Fredonia Gas Light Company in 1858. Long distance pipelines did not exist until the early twentieth century so most usage remained near the source. Before that era, manufactured coal gas served as the predominant fuel for lighting and heating during the Industrial Revolution.
Hydraulic fracturing operations have utilized approximately one million wells in the United States since the first commercial operation in 1949. Well operators force water mixed with chemicals through wellbore casing into rock formations to release trapped gas. Sand particles act as proppants to keep fractures open while high pressure water breaks up the surrounding stone. The average volume of water used per hydraulic fracture reached nearly three million gallons for horizontal gas wells between 2000 and 2010. Shale gas production became a major source in the United States and Canada after the year 2000. China National Petroleum Corporation claimed daily production of twenty million cubic meters from its Changning-Weiyuan demonstration zone in late 2020. Conventional oil sources differ by having higher permeability which allows flow without intensive techniques.
Russia holds the largest proven natural gas reserves according to estimates from the US Central Intelligence Agency at 47,600 cubic kilometers. Iran possesses slightly smaller reserves ranging from 33,100 to 33,800 cubic kilometers depending on the data source. The South Pars/North Dome Gas-Condensate field shared between Iran and Qatar remains the world's largest gas field. Liquefied natural gas ships transport fuel across oceans where pipelines cannot reach. Natural gas markets remain globally less integrated due to large trade costs causing significant price differences across countries. Western Europe maintains a dense pipeline network with new lines planned toward Northern Africa and the Near East. Five new long-distance gas pipelines were under construction in Texas alone with the first entering service in 2019. The European Union aimed to cut its gas dependency on Russia by two-thirds in 2022 following geopolitical tensions.
Over one-third of households in the United States cook with natural gas using more than forty million homes. Stanford scientists estimated that gas stoves emit 0.8 to 1.3 percent of the gas they use as unburned methane. Natural gas serves as a major feedstock for ammonia production via the Haber process used in fertilizer manufacturing. Almost half the people on Earth are currently fed as a result of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use. Compressed natural gas vehicles numbered over twenty million worldwide by the end of 2014. Iran led this count with 3.5 million vehicles followed closely by China with 3.3 million. LNG-powered aircraft programs have run since the mid-1970s seeking to develop variants of passenger models like the Tu-204. Natural gas also supports manufacturing processes for fabrics, glass, steel, plastics, paint, and synthetic oil products.
Methane accounts for an estimated thirty-three percent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas warming globally. A given quantity of methane has eighty-four times the global-warming potential of carbon dioxide over a twenty-year period. Natural gas consumption emitted about seven point eight billion tons of carbon dioxide in 2020 including flaring activities. The life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas are about fifty percent higher than direct emissions from the site of consumption. The Netherlands is subsidizing a transition away from natural gas for all homes in the country by 2050. No new residential gas accounts have been allowed in Amsterdam since 2018. New York State banned new gas appliance hookups while Victoria implemented a ban starting January first 2024. Radon gas with initial activity ranging from five to two hundred thousand becquerels per cubic meter appears during extraction.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
How was natural gas formed from ancient organic matter?
Natural gas formed when layers of marine microorganisms transformed under oxygen-free conditions over millions of years. Intense heat and pressure thermally decomposed the decayed organisms to store energy as chemical bonds within methane molecules.
When did humans first use natural gas for commercial purposes?
William Hart dug the first commercial natural gas well in Fredonia, New York in 1821. This venture led to the formation of the Fredonia Gas Light Company in 1858.
Which country holds the largest proven natural gas reserves according to the US Central Intelligence Agency?
Russia holds the largest proven natural gas reserves at 47,600 cubic kilometers. Iran possesses slightly smaller reserves ranging from 33,100 to 33,800 cubic kilometers depending on the data source.
What percentage of anthropogenic greenhouse gas warming is caused by methane globally?
Methane accounts for an estimated thirty-three percent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas warming globally. A given quantity of methane has eighty-four times the global-warming potential of carbon dioxide over a twenty-year period.
How many households in the United States cook with natural gas?
Over one-third of households in the United States cook with natural gas using more than forty million homes. Stanford scientists estimated that gas stoves emit 0.8 to 1.3 percent of the gas they use as unburned methane.