Although natural gas generally seems to only serve as fuel, the truth is that it actually has a lot of uses that are applied in various industries such as energy, residential and homes, raw materials and even in vehicles.
But it is true that most of the natural gas is used as fuel, the percentage is between 30% of the total of its uses, these include the generation of electricity, heating of buildings and houses, fuel for vehicles, heating water, baking and cooking food, fuel for industrial furnaces and is even used in air conditioners.
From the graph it can be seen that:
| Uses of natural gas | Percentage % |
| Electrical energy | 34.1 |
| Industrial | 31.3 |
| Residential | 20.7 |
| Commercial | 13.8 |
| Car fuel | 0.14 |
We remind you that we have a specific article that teaches you what is natural gas? its characteristics, composition and how it is formed, you can click here.
Also, if the topic catches your attention, you can learn about oil, where it comes from and how it is formed, by clicking here.
Next, let’s learn about the multiple applications that this hydrocarbon has.
Electric power generation
In general terms, of the total of all the uses and applications that the natural gas, around 34% are for the generation of electrical energy or in the production of electricity, however you want to see it.
The natural gas It has an advantage over coal and oil in this regard, which is that it produces or emits less carbon dioxide for each unit of energy generated.
Comparing them emits less than 30% carbon dioxide (CO2) than oil and less than 45% carbon dioxide than coal burned.
Also, the application of this hydrocarbon in the generation of electricity releases into the environment less quantity of oxides of nitrogen, sulfur and mercury in comparison with oil and coal.
While globally the trend of environmental care and climate change continues to increase, it is expected that the use of natural gas go on increasing
Industrial uses of natural gas
The natural gas It has important applications in the industrial sector, so much so that around 31% is used in this sector as fuel, raw material and as a heat source.
As raw material
As a raw material it is used as an ingredient for the manufacture of fertilizers, plastics, antifreeze, pharmaceuticals and fabrics.
In addition, it is used in the production of elements and chemical products such as ammonia, butane, ethane, propane, methanol, and acetic acid.
As fuel and heat source
Various industrial products and processes require an effective fuel and heat source for the production or manufacture of products that require heat energy to dry, bake, melt, and heat the products.
He too natural gas It is used in the production of glass, cement, ceramics, steel bricks, paper, food products where heat is required for industrial operation.
In other industries this hydrocarbon is also used for the incineration of garbage or whatever needs to be burned.
As fuel for cars
It is true that you may not have heard that the natural gas It can be used as fuel for cars, however, it should be mentioned that gas has certain advantages over gasoline and Diesel, among them is that it emits less CO2 into the environment and with current technology it has the same power to make the car move.
The cars they use natural gas as fuel they practically emit 70% less pollutants due to smog and a total of 40% less greenhouse gas emissions, this is very favorable for the environment.
However, the main disadvantages are that the use of the natural gas In cars it is not very widespread, and this has meant that large-scale refueling stations are not created, but the potential is very high in the future.
Use of natural gas in the oil industry
The oil industry is a sector with high energy demand, and what better way than to take advantage of the natural gas to have enough energy for all oil processes.
Another example is that during the transport of the natural gas For pipelines, compression stations are required that serve to keep the gas under pressure and that it flows through the pipelines easily. Thus, these stations usually use gas as fuel for the processes.
Finally, there are also oil refineries that use gas for heating and power generation.
Uses of natural gas in homes
In developed countries such as the United States, the natural gas is delivered to homes through pipes or tanks as CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), in fact, more than 21% of homes in that country use at natural gas as fuel directly.
The consumption of this hydrocarbon in homes is basically for heating, heating water, for stoves, ovens, dryers, lighting and electricity generation for household appliances.
Uses of natural gas in buildings and commercial premises
Similarly, in consumer countries natural gas Like the United States or China, its use in buildings and commercial premises is important, where it is used for space heating, water heating and even for air conditioning. This application represents around 14% of residential consumption.