7 Benefits of Natural Gas for Households and Industries

Natural gas is one of the energy sources used by humans for various purposes, especially in the petrochemical industry. This energy comes from million-years-fossilized microorganisms, plants, and animals.

There are benefits of natural gas for both households and industries. To discover the benefits of natural gas and the types, read the explanation below!

Benefits of Natural Gas

The Indonesian government is working to increase the use of natural gas as one of its energy sources. It was anticipated that 6,635 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of natural gas would have been produced by 2024.

In addition, the domestic use shows a positive trend, reaching around 68%. This means that natural gas can be a reliable energy source for many sectors. Natural gas has many advantages, such as:

1. Raw Material for Industry

In the industry sector, natural gas is commonly used for various manufacturing processes, such as plastic making, methanol raw material, petrochemicals, iron welding, fertilizer making, and fire distinguisher.

2. Vehicle Fuel

Not only petroleum but some vehicles can be operated using natural gas, such as buses and trucks. Those vehicles usually have Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural gas (LNG)-powered machines.

3. Household Needs

Another benefit of natural gas is to fulfill household needs. You might already see or experience it yourself by using Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to cook and boil water.

4. Energy Source for Power Plants

Natural gas is also used to generate power plants, such as gas-fired power plants and combined cycle power plants. Compared to coal-fired power plants, natural gas power plants are considered more efficient and environmentally friendly.

5. Export Commodity

Aside from domestic use, natural gas is also one of the export commodities in Indonesia. Liqueified natural gas and unconventional gas are examples of natural gases for export commodities.

6. Agricultural Fuel

The next benefit of natural gas is as agricultural fuel, especially for drying seeds, heating greenhouses, and other operational processes. Not only that but natural gas can also be used as fuel for heavy equipment, such as lawn mowers and tractors.

7. More Practical

The use of natural gas is also considered more practical because it can be distributed using pipelines. This will be more land and area-saving as well as more practical.

Types of Natural Gas

Now, you already learned about the benefits of natural gas for various sectors. However, do you know that there are numerous types of natural gases? Various types of natural gas are often used for household, commercial, and industrial purposes, including:

1. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)

CNG or gas fuel is usually used as an alternative fuel, especially for light to medium vehicles. To make CNG, natural gas will be compressed until its volume is reduced to 1/250 of normal natural gas.

The compression process is done to get more gases per vessel. In addition to compression, CNG must have standardized heavy carbon, carbon dioxide, and water content to be sold.

Moreover, CNG must be stored properly to prevent hydrate formation and condensation. Typically, CNG is odorless and non-corrosive.

2. Ethane

Ethane is a gas compound used in the petrochemical industry, especially in manufacturing polyethylene, ethylene, wire, plastic packages, and many more. Ethane is odorless and colorless.

3. Methane

Methane is combustible and commonly found on Earth. In fact, methane can be produced naturally and synthetically. Since it is combustible, you must be careful and safe in using it. You must also store it considerably to prevent fire.

Methane is commonly used for cooking and producing other gases, such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen. When burned, methane can produce water vapor and carbon dioxide.

4. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is a methane gas that is liquefied at certain atmospheric pressure and temperature. To be an LNG, the gas must be purified to remove the carbon dioxide, heavy hydrocarbons, and water.

LNG is commonly used in household and industry sectors. The gas is odorless, poisonless, incombustible, and non-corrosive, making it easier to store the gas.

5. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

LPG is the most common natural gas type used by the public. LPG has several types, such as butane LPG, propane LPG, and a combination of both. The gas is processed from condensed petroleum.

Those are the information about the benefits of natural gas and the types that you should know. Overall, it may be concluded that there are numerous benefits of natural gas, from household raw materials to the petrochemical industry.

Other than natural gas, the petrochemical industry also uses petroleum for its manufacturing process. One of the chemical solutions companies that processes petroleum into raw materials is Chandra Asri Group.

Chandra Asri Group has processed petroleum in a naphtha cracker to produce various chemical solution products, such as polyolefins, olefin, styrene monomer, pygas, butadiene, and so on.

With a tight process and supported by advanced technology, Chandra Asri Group can provide high-quality products and services. Therefore, make sure to use materials and energy solutions from the Chandra Asri Group for your industry!