Advantages and Disadvantages of Natural Gas

Natural gas has become extremely trendy since the last few years because of its daily usages in most homes. Natural gas is generally composed of a small percentage of other hydrocarbons and large amount of methane. Such composition makes this gas a significant source of energy and an excellent asset to the global economy. The use of natural gas is becoming a lot popular because of the fact that it can be used in a range of sectors such as residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, electric power and a lot more. Natural gas produces a wide range of products such as paints, plastics, and ammonia for any industries. Aside from this, it is also being used for powering home appliances in the US.

Pros of Natural Gas

1. Compared to other fossil fuels and electricity, natural gas is a lot cheaper. Appliances that are run by natural gas are also inexpensive.

2. When it comes to the environment, natural gas usage does not contaminate the underground and/or ground water since its byproducts are in gaseous form. In fact, burning natural gas does not release sulfur dioxide or any soot. Natural gas also emits forty-five percent less carbon dioxide compared to coal energy.

3. Transportation is made via land using small tanks and pipelines and sea via tankers. In this means, natural gas transportation is made easier to residential areas from power plants.

4. Natural gas fuel can be used in anything. It is believed to be a multipurpose fuel. Natural gas can be used inside your home for heating, cooking, drying, etc.

5. It can also be used to generate electric power and power vehicles by substituting for gasoline and diesel, produce paints, plastics and fertilizers and many more.

6. Another good thing about the natural gas is that it can be available in different parts of the world.

7. It can also be used in the form of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and CNG (compressed natural gas).

Drawbacks of Natural Gas

1. Natural gas can be toxic and flammable since it is composed of methane gas. Leaks are common for this type of energy and may cause explosions and fire. When inhaled, it can risk the health of a person. Since it is odorless, this risks the lives of people inhaling it, unless an odorant is combined in the gas mixture.

2. When natural gas burns, monoxide, carbon dioxide, and other compounds are emitted in the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect which results in climate change and global warming. Even if natural gas is cleaner than others, methane gas present in it is 21x hazardous than carbon dioxide.

3. Natural gas is a nonrenewable source of energy just like coal.

4. In relation to transportation, natural gas only offers short mileage than gasoline.

5. All constituents in the processing procedure have to be extracted.

6. The pipe installation can cost you a big amount of bucks for construction since specialized tanks, long pipes and plumbing systems need to be used.