Natural gas is a mixture of light gases that is mostly composed of methane and ethane, and to a lesser extent of propane, butanes, pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons. Global demand for natural gas could increase by more than half by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency.

Is natural gas a renewable energy?

Natural gas is a non-renewable energy resource. It is a colorless, odorless and non-toxic fossil fuel. This energy source has many benefits compared to others, because it is cleaner in terms of waste emission and is also more efficient. Natural gas also provides reliability to renewable energy sources, providing critical support for wind, solar and hydroelectric energy by equalizing supply and demand.

Where does natural gas come from and how is it extracted?

Natural gas is a fossil fuel that has accumulated over millions of years on Earth, as a result of an anaerobic (oxygen-free) decomposition of plant and animal remains.

This energy is extracted by drilling into the earth until it reaches the deposits, whose discovery is made through complex geological explorations, which can take several years.

What products come out of natural gas?

For example, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is obtained by cooling natural gas to -162 °C to transform it into liquid and reduce its volume 600 times, making it easier and cheaper to transport it to any place in the world where energy is needed. To distribute it to homes and businesses, we transform LNG back to a gaseous state, a process called “regasification”.

In addition to its use as fuel, natural gas separated from most other compounds is also used in the production of nitrogen fertilizers for agriculture, fumigants and disinfectants, additives and antifreezes, inks and finishes for the textile industry, or it can be converted to hydrogen, ethylene or methanol.

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