Natural Gas

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Natural gas, a fossil fuel, is a mixture of hydrocarbons, mostly methane. Texas alone produces 30 percent of U.S. natural gas, and Louisiana and Oklahoma combined produce another 15 percent. Natural gas is widely used in stationary applications such as heating and electric generation.

Interest in natural gas as a transportation fuel stems mainly from its clean-burning qualities, its domestic origin, and its commercial availability. It is cleaner burning than gasoline or diesel. Natural gas is also lower in sulfur compounds than conventional fuels, and it emits fewer particulates into the air when it is burned.

Figure 7
Liquefying natural gas saves space
LNG is made by cooling natural gas to a temperature of -259 degrees F. At that temperature, its volume is reduced 615 times. A car reduced 615 times would fit on your thumbnail.

Figure 8
CNG car
Cars fueled by compressed natural gas are among the cleanest available.