Written by: Maya Ardon
"a naturally-occurring, non-renewable hydrocarbon fuel source used for energy"
As layers of organic materials (i.e. decomposing plant and animal matter) accumulate, they are exposed to intense heat and pressure over millions of years on the Earth’s surface, forming a source of natural gas. The energy in natural gas is the energy of the plants stored in chemical bonds. Natural gas is a naturally-occurring, non-renewable hydrocarbon fuel source used for energy; it is a fossil fuel because of its formation from dead, buried organic material from deep inside the Earth’s surface. It is composed primarily of methane, and commonly has other alkanes (and sometimes elements or compounds). While it can be burned more efficiently and can create less waste than other fossil fuels, it is still a potent greenhouse gas, and emits carbon dioxide when burnt.
References
Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, October 30). Natural gas. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas.
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