The word gas often refers to the natural gas that is used commercially. It is composed of mostly of methane but also of a number of other useful elements. It can be found in many locations, and often undergoes a treatment process before it can be used.
Natural gas is extracted from two main sources, fossil gas and biogas. Fossil gas is gas that is produced over millions of years as a result of decomposition and fossilisation. The gas exists in large quantities buried beneath the ground. It is taken from the ground using oil wells or gas wells, and is then treated to remove the many impurities, leaving pure methane. Many countries are rich in fossil gas, and flourish as a result of this. North America, Russia and many Middle Eastern countries have huge gas fields, and have the capacity produce millions of square meters of the raw gas per year.
Biogas is gas that is formed as the result of decomposition of biological matter. Many locations, especially landfills, emit high levels of natural gas, and this can be collected and used. It can be a very dangerous process extracting natural gas from a variety of different locations. There is a high risk of explosion due to the pressure the gas is under, and its volatile nature. Extreme safety measures must be put into place to ensure the safety of workers and equipment. Many universities and facilities put a great deal of time and money into researching safer and more efficient ways of extracting natural gas.
The gas must undergo a lot of treatment and purification before it can be used. Impurities must be removed, and useful gases can often be salvaged. This means that for every square meter of raw natural gas, only a percentage of this is useful. We are living in an increasingly environmentally conscience society, and there are growing concerns about the collection of natural gas. It is not an unlimited resource, and much research has gone into ways of creating it artificially and extracting it in the most efficient way possible.
British Gas is the provider of natural gas for the United Kingdom. They provide natural gas for use in homes and other similar buildings. Gas is used primarily for cooking and heating in the home. There are also many other ways that natural gas can be used, such as in factories or in planes.