Is Natural Gas A Non Living Resource?
What is Natural Gas?
Natural gas is a fossil fuel that formed deep beneath the earth’s surface millions of years ago. It is considered a nonrenewable resource because it cannot be replenished on a human timescale.
Natural gas is extracted from underground deposits, including shale formations, natural gas fields, and coal beds. It consists primarily of methane, a colorless, odorless gas. Natural gas also contains varying amounts of other hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane, butane, and pentanes.
Before it can be used as an energy source, raw natural gas extracted from underground must be processed to remove impurities and separated into its different components. The resulting product is pipeline-quality dry natural gas that is over 90% methane.
How is Natural Gas Formed?
Natural gas is formed from the decomposition and transformation of organic matter like plants, animals and microorganisms that lived millions of years ago. Over long periods of time, often hundreds of millions of years, the organic material becomes buried under layers of sediment. As more layers build up, intense heat and pressure is applied, causing the organic matter to undergo chemical changes and transform into materials like oil and natural gas.
The natural gas forms in underground reservoirs of porous rock like shale or sandstone. The gas then migrates upward until it is trapped underneath an impermeable caprock layer of shale or salt. This prevents the gas from escaping and allows it to concentrate into deposits. The largest natural gas reserves tend to form where marine sediments were deposited during the Jurassic and Cretaceous time periods. These areas include the Middle East, North Africa, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caspian Sea and Russia.
Is Natural Gas a Renewable or Nonrenewable Resource?
Resources can be classified as either renewable or nonrenewable. Renewable resources are those that can be replenished naturally in a relatively short amount of time. Examples include solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, and biomass. Nonrenewable resources take thousands to millions of years to form naturally and so are considered finite resources. Fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal are examples of nonrenewable resources.
Natural gas is considered a nonrenewable resource because it takes millions of years to form through natural processes. Natural gas is formed from the decomposition and compression of organic matter like plant and animal remains buried deep underground. This means the rate of natural gas formation is extremely slow relative to how quickly we consume it as an energy source. Once existing natural gas deposits are extracted, they cannot be replaced on a human timescale. This makes natural gas a finite resource and categorizes it as nonrenewable.
Why is Natural Gas Considered a Non-Living Resource?
Natural gas is considered a non-living resource because it is a fossil fuel derived from once living organisms. Fossil fuels like natural gas and petroleum were formed millions of years ago from the remains of ancient plants and animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. Over time, the organic material was buried under layers of sediment. Under the intense pressure and heat caused by the burying sediment layers, the remains were transformed into fossil fuels.
Unlike living resources like trees, crops, or fish that are made of organic, carbon-based compounds, natural gas is primarily composed of methane, an inorganic compound. Methane is a simple hydrocarbon with the chemical formula CH4. It does not contain the complex molecules and structures found in living organisms.
In contrast to fossil fuels, living natural resources like forests and agricultural products are made of complex organic molecules that were created recently by living organisms like plants. Living resources can regenerate themselves over relatively short time spans through biological processes like growth and reproduction. However, fossil fuels like natural gas cannot self-generate – they formed over millions of years under specific conditions, and the original organic material they came from no longer exists.
Therefore, because natural gas was transformed from once-living material into inorganic hydrocarbon compounds long ago and cannot replenish itself like a living organism can, it is considered a non-renewable, non-living resource.
Natural Gas Extraction and Processing
Natural gas is extracted from underground deposits trapped in porous rocks like shale or sandstone formations. Modern methods like hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have enabled access to new natural gas reserves. Once extracted, raw natural gas contains impurities like water, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen and other hydrocarbons. The gas must go through an extensive purification process to meet pipeline quality standards.
After extraction, natural gas enters a processing plant to remove impurities and isolate the methane. The raw gas first goes through a separator to remove any free liquids like water and hydrocarbon liquids. Next, the gas passes through an absorber tower which removes acid gases like hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide chemically. The gas then goes through cryogenic processing which utilizes extremely low temperatures to remove heavier hydrocarbons like propane and butane. After purification, the resulting pipeline-quality dry natural gas is almost pure methane and ready for distribution.
Uses of Natural Gas
Natural gas has a wide variety of uses that make it an integral part of the global energy system. Here are some of the major uses of natural gas:
Heating – Natural gas is used to heat buildings and water in both residential and commercial/industrial applications. Gas furnaces and boilers burn natural gas to provide heat for space heating and hot water.
Electricity Generation – Many power plants burn natural gas to generate electricity. Gas turbines and gas engines are designed to use natural gas as a fuel to spin generators. Natural gas is a popular fuel for electricity due to its domestic abundance and cleaner burning properties compared to coal and oil.
Transportation Fuel – Compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) can be used as fuels for vehicles. CNG is used in light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, while LNG is well-suited for heavy-duty transportation like trains, ships, and large trucks.
Manufacturing – The industrial sector relies on natural gas as both an energy source and a raw material. Natural gas is used to generate process heat and power for manufacturing facilities. The chemicals industry uses natural gas as a feedstock for making products like ammonia, methanol, and plastics.
Cooking – Natural gas fueled stovetops, ovens, grills, and other appliances are staple household items. Natural gas is a preferred fuel source for cooking due to its instant on/off feature, adjustability, and cleanliness.
Environmental Impacts
Natural gas is considered a cleaner-burning fossil fuel than coal or oil. When burned, natural gas produces fewer pollutants, including carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change. For the amount of energy released, natural gas produces 30-60% less carbon dioxide than coal and 20-50% less carbon dioxide than oil. However, natural gas itself is mostly composed of methane which is a potent greenhouse gas. When methane leaks into the atmosphere from natural gas extraction, processing, and transportation, it accelerates global warming. Estimates vary, but generally around 1.7% to 3.1% of natural gas production may be emitted as methane, and the impacts of that leakage should not be disregarded.
Other environmental concerns related to natural gas production include accidental leaks of other air pollutants like benzene and toluene, contamination of ground and surface water from chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, induced seismicity from wastewater injection, and land disturbance impacts from well drilling and pipeline construction. Comprehensive environmental regulation and oversight as well as industry adoption of green completions that capture fugitive gas emissions can help minimize negative impacts. Natural gas producers highlight its role as a “bridge fuel” that displaces more harmful fossil fuels, but critics argue investment in natural gas may delay transition to truly clean renewable energy sources. Overall, natural gas appears to burn cleaner than alternative fossil fuels, yet some environmental impacts still persist and require mitigation.
Natural Gas Reserves and Production
Natural gas is found all over the world, but some countries have much larger reserves than others. The countries with the largest proved reserves of natural gas are:
- Russia – 38 trillion cubic meters
- Iran – 33 trillion cubic meters
- Qatar – 24 trillion cubic meters
- Turkmenistan – 19 trillion cubic meters
- United States – 10 trillion cubic meters
These top five countries hold over half of the world’s proven natural gas reserves. Other major reserve holders include Saudi Arabia, UAE, Venezuela, Nigeria, Algeria, and Australia.
As of 2020, global proved natural gas reserves were estimated to total 208 trillion cubic meters. Around 46% of these reserves are located in the Middle East, while 31% are in the Asia Pacific region. Russia holds the single largest reserve, accounting for over 18% of the global total.
In terms of production, the top natural gas producing countries are:
- United States – 922 billion cubic meters in 2019
- Russia – 725 billion cubic meters in 2019
- Iran – 262 billion cubic meters in 2019
- Qatar – 181 billion cubic meters in 2019
- Canada – 175 billion cubic meters in 2019
The United States and Russia account for over 40% of global natural gas production. Major producing states in the US include Texas, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana. Production has grown rapidly in recent years due to the shale gas boom.
The Future of Natural Gas
Natural gas is projected to continue playing a major role in meeting global energy demand in the coming decades. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) International Energy Outlook 2021, global natural gas consumption is projected to increase by 29% between 2019 and 2050. This growth will be driven by rising incomes in developing countries, industrial production, and increasing use of natural gas in the electric power sector.
The EIA projects that natural gas will overtake coal to become the world’s second largest energy source after oil by 2030. By 2050, natural gas is projected to account for 28% of global energy consumption compared to 24% for coal. The largest increases in natural gas demand are expected to occur in non-OECD Asian countries like China and India.
Within the U.S., natural gas is expected to remain an important component of electricity generation as coal plants retire and variable renewable sources like wind and solar expand. Natural gas power plants can provide grid flexibility and backup generation when renewables are not available. The EIA projects that U.S. natural gas-fired electricity generation will increase from 37% in 2020 to 39% in 2050 under current policy scenarios.
Global natural gas supplies are expected to keep pace with rising demand over the next few decades, supported by large shale resources in the U.S. and several other countries. However, long-term projections are uncertain and will depend on factors like technology, policy, and economic growth. Some experts argue that natural gas use must eventually decline to meet global climate goals.
Overall, natural gas is likely to play an important transitional role in the global energy system as countries move towards lower-carbon sources. However, its long-term future is tied to the trajectory of renewable energy deployment, energy efficiency improvements, policy choices, and technological advances.
Conclusion
Natural gas is considered a non-living resource because it is formed by geophysical processes over millions of years from the buried remains of plants and animals. Unlike living resources that can replenish themselves, natural gas reserves are finite and cannot be replaced once extracted and used.
As we’ve covered in this article, natural gas primarily consists of methane and is formed through the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter deep underground. It is extracted through drilling and pumped to the surface for processing before being distributed through pipelines for heating, electricity generation, cooking, and other uses. While natural gas emits less CO2 when burned compared to coal, it is still a fossil fuel that contributes to climate change and air pollution. Global natural gas production continues to increase, but reserves are limited and production is projected to peak in the coming decades.
In summary, natural gas is considered a non-renewable, non-living resource because it cannot replenish itself on human timescales and its extraction permanently depletes reserves that took millions of years to form underground. While natural gas will remain an important energy source in the near future, long-term energy planning should shift towards truly renewable resources that can be sustainably produced indefinitely.
