NATURAL GAS

Natural Gas Fracking and the Effects on the Environment

Natural Gas Fracking and the Effects on the Environment

Introduction

Natural gas is the cleanest of conventional fossil fuels. When burned, the colorless, odorless gas emits 30% less carbon dioxide (CO2), the most important anthropogenic (human-caused) greenhouse gas, than does oil, and 45% less CO2 than coal. Natural gas also releases significantly less particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and Sulfur Dioxides (which can cause acid rain) than other fossil fuels. Even so, it accounts for a significant fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly 21% of the 31.1 billion tons (28.2 billion metric tons) of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere by countries around the globe in 2005 came from the consumption and flaring of natural gas. Oil production engages the burning of natural gases. The flaring of associated or natural gas such as methane is done as a side-effect of the drilling from reservoirs in which gas and oil are combined. The gases discharged during gas-flaring, joins the dampness and other types of rain in the environment to shape acid rain. This paper discusses natural gas fracking and the effects on the environment.

Discussion

Crude oil (or petroleum) is a hydrocarbon material of ancient animal and vegetable origin. By processing, crude oil can be converted, amongst other things, into gasoline, kerosene, lubricating oil, fuel oil, asphalt and paraffin. As liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons are closely related, the word petroleum is sometimes used to refer to both petroleum and natural gas. Until the late nineteenth/early twentieth century, crude oil had a limited use in different cultures, amongst others, as a medicine, a flammable product for military purposes and a source of illumination. In the course of the twentieth century, crude oil became the world's most important source of energy and assumed an important role in international relations. [1]

Natural gas itself—composed primarily of methane, is at least 21 times more potent at heating the planet than CO2. It also contributes to global warming directly when it escapes from pipelines, wells, and processing facilities; is vented from coal mines for worker safety; or makes its way into the atmosphere because of equipment failure. The natural gas industry is responsible for approximately 15% of anthropogenic methane emissions.

Natural gas and oil are both the product of prolonged heat and pressure acting on the remains of tiny oceanic plants and animals (plankton) that were buried deep under sand, silt, and rock some 200-400 million years ago. Natural gas can also be extracted from coal seams. Coal bed methane is a hazard to working coal miners, as the highly combustible gas can cause underground explosions. Today, it is being considered as a useful energy resource. [2]

As of 2005, natural gas accounted for about 21% of global primary energy use. Industry—where natural gas is used both as an energy source and as the base ingredient for fertilizer, plastics, fabrics, and other products—is the greatest consumer of natural gas, accounting for 43% of natural gas use across all ...