Is natural gas a renewable resource?
Is Natural Gas Renewable or Nonrenewable?
You may come across a frequent query – is natural gas renewable or nonrenewable? The main reason for this doubt in people’s minds is probably due to the fact that though natural gas is generally considered a nonrenewable fossil fuel, there are many sources of natural gas that are very renewable in that they renew themselves naturally. For example, the vast bulk of methane, the main component of natural gas we use, comes from the activities of the petroleum industry. Technically, petroleum is renewable but with its extraordinary formation durations and higher exploitation rates than formation rates, it is classified under nonrenewable energy sources.
Before I go into the right answer to whether is natural gas a renewable resource, let us first look into what is natural gas and how is natural gas formed.
What is Natural Gas and how is natural gas formed?
Natural gas is considered a fossil fuel because this was formed from the remains of tiny sea animals and plants that died 300 to 400 million years ago.
When these sea animals and plants died, they sank to the bottom of the oceans where they were buried by layers of sediment that turned into rock. Over the years, the layers of sedimentary rock became thousands of feet thick, subjecting the energy-rich plant and animal remains to enormous pressure. Most scientists believe that the pressure, combined with the heat of the Earth, changed this organic mixture into petroleum and natural gas. Eventually, concentrations of natural gas became trapped in the rock layers, much like a sponge traps water. Raw natural gas is a mixture of different gases. The main ingredient is methane, a natural compound that is formed whenever plant and animal matter decays.
There are many refuse collection companies that capture the methane from their landfills and use it as fuel for their trucks. Some farms in the US collect methane from big manure digesters and use the methane as farm fuel. Natural gas may also come from several other sources. One such source is coal bed methane, which is found in seams of coal.
Is natural gas renewable or nonrenewable?
Now that we know how is natural gas formed, let us go into the answer to the query – is natural gas renewable or nonrenewable resource?
This question cannot be emphatically answered in a single sentence. Natural gas can be termed as both renewable and nonrenewable resources as explained below.
Why is natural gas a renewable resource technically?
Technically, as per the renewable energy definition natural gas is a renewable source of energy as it is a naturally occurring, theoretically inexhaustible source of energy. Natural Gas is a by-product of naturally occurring sources that are very renewable in that they renew themselves naturally. For example, methane, which is the main ingredient of natural gas, is produced as plant and animal matter decomposes.
Methane can be found leaking from landfills, from farm animal manure, and from algae. River and lake beds have lots of rotting leaves and other bits of vegetation that decompose and produce methane. All these decaying organic matter renew themselves naturally. Nevertheless, they cannot be replenished in a human time frame. That’s why natural gas isn’t renewable the way the world generally thinks about renewable energy.
Why is natural gas nonrenewable in the traditional sense?
Natural gas is considered a nonrenewable resource in the traditional sense. It has been suggested that natural gas is constantly being created. But the rate at which natural gas is being consumed is much greater than the rate at which it is being created. Therefore, it will not regenerate at the rate needed to refill the reservoirs.
The nonrenewable definition of a resource is that it cannot be readily replaced by natural means on a level equal to its consumption.
The basic idea is that something renewable is not depleted when it is being used. By definition, natural gas is, therefore, considered a nonrenewable energy source in that its use is not sustainable because its formation takes millions of years.
Can natural gas be made a renewable energy source?
Though natural gas can be termed as a nonrenewable resource in the traditional sense as explained above, a renewable natural gas can also be produced chemically, making it an attractive source of renewable energy.
A renewable natural gas, also known as bio-methane, which is a gaseous form of methane, is produced by the decomposition of organic waste from farms, forests, landfills, and water treatment plants through a biological chemical process known as ‘anaerobic digestion’, which is a series of processes under oxygen-free conditions. This natural gas is termed as ‘renewable’ because it is derived from the waste that is being continuously produced by present-day activities. This renewable natural gas is fully interchangeable with conventional or fossil natural gas for generating electricity, heating homes, cooking, and, arguably the most important use, as a transportation fuel.
Frequently asked questions
Before I conclude let me also reply to some of the related queries often asked by the people.
Why is natural gas a bad energy source?
Although natural gas is a cleaner energy source than other fossil fuels like coal and liquid petroleum, it still releases considerable amount of carbon into the atmosphere in the form of CO2 and methane.
Is natural gas a renewable energy?
Though natural gas can be traditionally considered as a nonrenewable resource, renewable natural gas can also be produced chemically, making it an attractive source of renewable energy.
Is natural gas a good source of energy?
Natural gas is a good source of energy as it burns more cleanly than other fossil fuels releasing lower levels of harmful gases into the atmosphere.
You may also like to read this related post: Advantages of natural gas over other fossil fuels
Conclusion
It is clear from the discussion above whether natural gas is renewable or nonrenewable that there is enough ground in the doubts expressed by some people when they ask – is natural gas a renewable resource?
As explained above, though natural gas is technically a renewable resource, by nonrenewable definition it is considered a nonrenewable energy source as its use is not sustainable because its formation takes millions of years. Therefore, when someone asks – is natural gas renewable or nonrenewable, the real answer to the query in a single sentence would be – it is both renewable and nonrenewable.
