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A few simple basic facts that EVERYBODY needs to know and be able to recite whenever this topic pops up anywhere.
METHANE is the primary ingredient in Natural Gas. Ideally it would be 100% by there are other ingredients in small amounts.
METHANE is C-H4, one carbon atom joined to four hydrogen atoms.
Weighing is how we can compare items which may not be similar but need
comparing. One "molecule" of CH4 has an atomic weight of (C=12, H=1) of
12+1+1+1+1 = 16.
When burned in air the resulting byproducts are CO2 plus H2O. C-O2 has atomic weight (12+16+16) = 44.
One TON of CH4, METHANE becomes 2.75 TONS of CARBON DIOXIDE, CO2.
CO2 is a greenhouse gas. It absorbs infrared light, heat energy.
CH4 is also a greenhouse gas if unburned and released into the
atmosphere. It breaks down Ozone in the Earth's Ozone Layer and lets in
more solar rays which convert to infrared heat energy.
CH4 is 25 times more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, but both are Greenhouse gases.
One TON of coal is nearly pure carbon with some poisonous dirty
pollution contaminants. A TON of pure Carbon coal converts to 3.6 TONS
of CO2.
"Clean Natural Gas" with some escaping the wellhead and some burned
could range from nearly as dirty as coal to much dirtier than coal
depending on how much unburned gas gets through the fires or escapes the
fractured rocks near wellhead.
A few simple basic facts that EVERYBODY needs to know and be able to recite whenever this topic pops up anywhere.
METHANE is the primary ingredient in Natural Gas. Ideally it would be 100% by there are other ingredients in small amounts.
METHANE is C-H4, one carbon atom joined to four hydrogen atoms.
Weighing is how we can compare items which may not be similar but need comparing. One "molecule" of CH4 has an atomic weight of (C=12, H=1) of 12+1+1+1+1 = 16.
When burned in air the resulting byproducts are CO2 plus H2O. C-O2 has atomic weight (12+16+16) = 44.
One TON of CH4, METHANE becomes 2.75 TONS of CARBON DIOXIDE, CO2.
CO2 is a greenhouse gas. It absorbs infrared light, heat energy.
CH4 is also a greenhouse gas if unburned and released into the atmosphere. It breaks down Ozone in the Earth's Ozone Layer and lets in more solar rays which convert to infrared heat energy.
CH4 is 25 times more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, but both are Greenhouse gases.
One TON of coal is nearly pure carbon with some poisonous dirty pollution contaminants. A TON of pure Carbon coal converts to 3.6 TONS of CO2.
"Clean Natural Gas" with some escaping the wellhead and some burned could range from nearly as dirty as coal to much dirtier than coal depending on how much unburned gas gets through the fires or escapes the fractured rocks near wellhead.