Weird Facts About Natural Gas

Natural gas stands at the cusp of becoming the most used fuel source on the face of the earth. In honor of this fact, here are some interesting and weird facts about natural gas and all it stands for! 

1. Natural gas consists of methane, mainly, but there are also other ingredients as well. these other ingredients consist of propane, butane, and a few others. 

2. In its natural state, natural gas has no odor, has no color, and is highly flammable. It is also lighter than the air so it can float in the air very easily. To make it easier to detect if there is a natural gas leak, companies who use it add an additive called mercaptan which smells like rotten eggs. While this may be an unpleasant odor, it goes a long way to ensure that people do not blow themselves up if it has leaked into the environment. 

3. Natural gas has been around for quite some time. Historians state that it was first discovered back in 6000 BC in the Middle East. It was discovered by the process of lightning from the sky igniting buried reserves of natural gas that had been seeping from the ground. This was long before the ADVENT OF natural gas piping installation came to be. 

4. In fact, the very first natural gas pipes were invented in China in 500 BC and were made from bamboo. The natural gas which flowed these unique pipes was used in the production of salt brine. 

As you can see, there are some very weird and wonderful facts concerning natural gas. Not only is it an incredibly useful fuel to have available but it has a long and storied existence as well. Hopefully, this has piqued your curiosity into learning more about natural gas and its many uses.