Natural gas is the cleanest burning energy source of all fossil fuels that is used domestically and industrially for cooling, electricity generation, heating, the creation of materials such as steel and concrete and more.
Many hear the term “natural gas” and immediately think this form of energy to be renewable; however, for energy sources to be considered renewable, they need to be replenishable. Unlike sunlight, wind or water, natural gas is not unlimited and without this characteristic, it is certainly not renewable. Much like oil and coal, natural gas comes from a depleting source.
Natural gas may be considered the cleanest and safest fossil fuel for industrial and domestic usage however, natural gases come with serious risks that need to be remembered.
Before we take a look at the by-products that come with natural gas, let’s take a look at what natural gas is.
|
What is natural Gas?
Conventionally, natural gas is extracted from subsurface rock formations through drilling and ranges from between 5000 metres to just a few metres below the surface. It’s extracted from the ground or offshore beneath the sea bed using oil drills and natural gas drills.
There have also been advances in hydraulic fracturing technologies which enable access to massive volumes of natural gas from shale. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, refers to the process of the extraction of shale gas. In this process, deep holes are drilled into shale rock, followed by horizontal drilling in order to access more gas.
Drilling and extraction advancements have made way for a domestic natural gas boom over the past decade and the conversation has been about how much better natural gas is than other fossil fuels. In fact, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, natural gas emits between 15 and 20 % less carbon dioxide than coal and when used as an automobile fuel, natural gases use between 15 and 20 % less greenhouse gases than gasoline. The conversation has also been around the fact that natural gas generates less pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and mercury than that of gasoline, diesel and coal [ref].
|
Where is natural as found?
In some locations, natural gas moves into cracks and spaces between overlying rock and this kind of natural gas is known as conventional natural gas. Natural gas occurs in deposits of crude oil and this is known as unconventional natural gas and can also be found in coal deposits and is known as coalbed methane.In other instances, natural gas forms in tiny spaces or pores within the formation of rocks such as sandstone and shale.This type of natural gas is known as tight gas or shale gas. Shale gas is a natural gas that is trapped within shale formations, these are fine sedimentary rocks that are a powerful source of petroleum and natural gas.
Over the past 10 years, horizontal drilling as well as hydraulic fracturing, has allowed access to large amounts of shale gas and this has rejuvenated the natural gas industry across the globe but particularly in the US [ref].
It is important to note that natural gas, including Methane, can escape while drilling for oil. Natural gas is produced by drilling or hydraulic fracturing (as stated above) but is also extracted as a byproduct of drilling for oil. As this gas is invisible as well as odourless, detecting these kinds of leaks can be challenging. These leaks can also occur at any point of the drilling process, from extraction to transport to processing into an energy commodity to when the gas is burned. This is why it is particularly important to monitor these emissions. Continuing emission monitoring has the power to decrease the level of emissions into the atmosphere and in turn, save valuable product which has a positive effect on the industrial plant industry, helping identify weak points in the process and putting steps in place to optimise operations.
With leading-emission monitoring solutions, the GHGSat team delivers actionable metrics and insights vital to environmental, production and financial decision-making.Our emission intelligence empowers carbon intensive industries and governments to achieve their emission reduction goals.
GHGSat is proud to have pioneered the satellite monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions in high-resolution. With our leading emission monitoring solutions, we are able to provide our clients with actionable insights and metrics into vital environmental and financial decision-making.
|
How do we source natural gas?
Geologists begin to search for natural gas by studying the processes of the earth and with this information they are able to locate the types of geologic formations that contain the above mentioned gas deposits.
Geologists use what are known as seismic surveys in the ocean or on land to source the correct locations to drill natural gas and oil wells. These surveys are able to create and measure seismic waves in the earth to get information on the rock formations.
Seismic surveys conducted on land may also use what is known as a thumper truck, which has a vibrating pad that pounds the ground into creating seismic waves in underlying rocks and in some cases, small amounts of explosives can be used. When seismic surveys are conducted in the ocean, sound is blasted to create sonic waves to take a look at the geology beneath the floor of the ocean.
When a seismic survey indicates that the site has the potential to produce natural gas, a well is drilled and the location will be tested. The test will inform the geologists of the quantity and quality of resources available.
If the results of the test show that there is enough natural gas in a location to make a profit, more wells are drilled. These wells are drilled vertically or horizontally into natural gas-bearing formations.
Learn more about the source of natural gas by watching this video by Student Energy [ref].
|
Can you get methane from natural gas?
Today, natural gas is one of the largest energy sources used to power businesses, industries and homes; however, it does have significant drawbacks. Just because something is better doesn’t mean it is good.
Natural gas is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture that consists mostly of methane; however it also commonly includes a variety of other higher alkanes as well as a small percentage of nitrogen, hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide, or helium.
There are three kinds of natural gas:
-
Abiogenic methane: A form of gas and oil that does not come from fossil deposits rather from deep hydrogen-rich carbon deposits that have been present since the formation of the planet.
-
Biogenic methane: Created on farms or in landfills that have cows and other organic matter.
-
Thermogenic methane: Formed when mud and rock sediment put the remains of plants or animals under pressure. This takes place at exceptionally high temperatures and over millions of years.
Methane is a large component of natural gas. In fact, methane makes up 70% – 90% of natural gas [ref].
Methane is a gas that naturally exists in small quantities in the atmosphere and is the simplest hydrocarbon. Methane consists of a single carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms and is known as a powerful greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases are gases within the earth’s atmosphere that trap heat, warming the earth’s surface and the lower atmosphere – leading to global warming.
High levels of methane also have the power to reduce the oxygen that we breathe from the air which results in a variety of negative effects such as slurred speech, memory loss, vomiting, headaches and mood changes. In severe instances, there can be changes in heart rate and breathing leading to unconsciousness.
There have also been instances of natural gas leaks into the earth’s atmosphere due to natural gas wells, processing plants and pipelines. In fact, the US Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that in 2020 alone, methane emissions from natural gas, abandoned oil, natural gas wells and petroleum systems made up around 33% of the US methane emissions and 4% of US greenhouse gas emissions [ref].
For example, on 30th of September 2022, a GHGSat satellite detected emissions coming from the Nord Stream 2 leak in the Baltic Sea at a rate of 79 000 kg/h – the equivalent of more than 2 million pounds of coal being burned in an hour. This was the largest emission detected to date from a single source and thanks to the new-age technology, we were able to observe a significant emission coming from 1 of 4 leaks in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Technological advancements are vital to the reduction of natural gas emissions, with satellite observations and data playing an increasingly important role in the detection and mitigation of emissions such as the Nord Stream 2 leakage [ref].
|
How natural gas is affecting the environment
Drilling for natural gas requires the levelling and clearing of an area and this kind of activity produces measurable and impactful air pollution while greatly disturbing and negatively affecting wildlife, people and water resources. This leads to migration and displacement.
When drilling for natural gas, engines and large equipment will be run which directly causes air pollution as well as noise pollution – affecting the area, its inhabitants and surrounding areas.
When natural gas is produced at oil wells but contains high levels of hydrogen sulphide or it simply isn’t economical to transport for selling, it is burned. This process is known as flaring and it produces carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and a variety of harmful compounds. It is important to note that this practice is safer than simply releasing the gas into the air and releases less greenhouse gas emissions.
GHGSat is leading the way in measuring emissions from inactive flares with satellites. Satellites that circumnavigate the planet multiple times a day, offer a reliable and accurate service when it comes to monitoring the globe for emissions. Today, GHGSat is the only company currently operating high-resolution satellites with the capability to monitor oil and gas facilities and infrastructure for greenhouse gas emissions.
This innovative service provides data that can then be used by oil and gas companies to focus maintenance efforts and to support environmental reporting of emissions reductions activity [learn more].
|
How methane from natural gas is affecting the environment
The second most abundant greenhouse gas is methane – second only to carbon dioxide. Methane is comparatively short-lived but plays a much bigger role in the warming of our plant. In fact, over a mere 100 years, methane is 28 times stronger than carbon dioxide when it comes to the warming of the Earth which means it is critical to measure and reduce methane emissions [ref].
With this in mind, methane is the primary component of natural gas and over a 20 year period, has the ability to trap 80 times the heat as carbon dioxide. When methane is released into the atmosphere, it reacts in ways that have negative consequences on the environment and public health. For example, methane is emitted into the atmosphere during the gas and oil development and production process, once released, it mixes with other dangerous pollutants such as nitrogen oxide. Once this happens, unhealthy smogs are formed which speeds up the impact of climate change while harming environmental air quality as well as public health [ref].
According to the UN environment programme, Methane also contributes to decreasing air quality and the forming of the ozone layer, which leads to a variety of health problems in fauna and flora as well as premature human deaths and reduced crops [ref].
|
The problem with methane
Many believe that natural gas emits less climate-warming pollutants than oil or coal, however the truth is complicated. Natural gas doesn’t produce as much greenhouse gas as oil or coal when burned, however that is not the only way for greenhouse gas emissions to escape into the atmosphere.
Before natural gas is burned, gas can leak at every part of the journey, from the well through to the transportation along natural gas pipelines and in the businesses and homes where it is burned. This means that at every single step, enormous amounts of methane can be released into the atmosphere. Methane is the second most significant climate pollutant today but by actively monitoring this infrastructure we can reduce the amount of methane emitted into the atmosphere.
Methane is known as one of the most powerful greenhouse gases known today, with 80 times the heat trapping ability than even carbon dioxide once emitted into the atmosphere. According to the Sixth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC), it has been noted that methane has caused around two-thirds as much of the current global warming as carbon dioxide [ref].
The production of energy and energy use are the leading source of methane emissions today, and are quickly getting ahead of landfills and agriculture, as methane is escaping into the atmosphere in large amounts from pipelines. Reducing these massive methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry is vital in the fight against climate change [ref].
|
Fighting Climate Change
Whether you refer to it as global warming, climate change or the climate crisis, the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere is quickly rising. This temperature rise has a variety of impacts on the world as we know it. With warmer summers, melting polar ice caps, increased storms, natural disasters and rising ocean temperatures, it is vital we take the relevant steps to do what we can to decrease climate change and its impact.
Everyday we release harmful emissions into the atmosphere, the severity and frequency of climate change will rise, creating a crisis for individuals and nature around the globe. If left unchecked, these impacts will worsen, leading to biodiversity loss, water shortages, displaced communities and animal extinction.
But it is not all doom and gloom. The world is talking about the impact of climate change and it is not an impossible problem. It is not an impossible problem because the world knows what is causing it and what is needed to stop it. However, this takes courage, innovation, ambition, and empathetic action – and requires substantial effort across every single sector of the world’s economy. Together, we can reduce the rate of global climate change and through advanced technology, work to prevent the worst impacts of climate change from coming to pass.
|
About GHGSat
GHGSat is proud to have pioneered the satellite monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions in high-resolution. With our leading emission monitoring solutions, we are able to provide our clients with actionable insights and metrics into vital environmental and financial decision-making.
GHGSat’s methane map SPECTRA is available for free subscription- our emissions intelligence platform, featuring a gallery of methane emissions from satellite data in high-resolution, and worldwide methane concentrations.
With our emission intelligence, we are proud to empower the greenhouse gas and carbon intensive industries as well as governments, in order to achieve their emission reduction goals.
Sign up for your free SPECTRA subscription today.
