OBTAINING AND USING

All fossil fuels are made up of decomposed plant and animal matter from millions of years ago. Exposure to heat and pressure in the earth, the matter becomes usable sources of energy, like oil, coal, or natural gas.

Methane is obtained through drilling in the surface of the earth. Methane usually travels up through the earth and dissipate into the atmosphere. However, sometimes the methane gets trapped under the surface. Drills break through the earth's surface and relieve the pressure. The escaping gas is then captured and transferred using pipelines.

Methane is also created in biological processes. Digestion causes methane to be formed. Livestock, primarily cows, release large amounts of methane into the air through belching. Animal feces also contains a large amount of Methane. This poses both a solution and a problem to global warming. Methane is a clean burning gas and does not release large amounts of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. Scientists have begun seeing livestock as a source of energy.

Livestock also poses an immediate threat. Methane is 21 times more powerful at absorbing heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, causing global warming. Luckily, Methane only remains in the atmosphere for only 25 years.

Methane is primarily used as a fuel. Natural Gas was the fuel responsible for 24% of the energy consumed since 2000.

(Energy consumption by source since 2000, www.naturalgas.org )

Commercial natural gas is filtered to be almost completely methane, and used to fuel residential areas. The stove is a common household appliance that can be powered by natural gas. Methane is also commonly used to heat houses. Approximately 49.1 million people in the United States heated their homes with methane in 2000.

(Uses of Natural Gas, 2000, www.naturalgas.org )

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