| Natural
gas and the environment
Because
natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel, it can help
improve the quality of air and water, especially when used
in place of other, more polluting energy sources. Natural
gas combustion results in virtually no atmospheric emissions
of sulfur dioxide (SO2) or small particulate matter, and far
lower emissions of carbon
monoxide (CO), reactive hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides
(NOx) and carbon dioxide than combustion of other fossil fuels.
Natural
gas is more environmentally attractive than other fossil fuels
because it is composed chiefly of methane -- a molecule made
up of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. When methane
is burned completely, the principal products of combustion
are carbon dioxide and water vapor. In comparison, oil and
coal compounds have much more complicated molecular structures.
They include a higher ratio of carbon, as well as various
sulfur and nitrogen compounds. They do not burn as cleanly.
Coal and industrial fuel oil combustion also produce ash particles,
which do not burn at all; however, they can be carried into
the atmosphere. Be cause natural gas burns cleanly, its use
can be an effective means of controlling pollution.
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