natural gas

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natural gas Naturally occurring fossil fuel, consisting of hydrocarbons trapped in sedimentary rocks. Natural gas is the gaseous component of petroleum and is extracted from oil wells. The fossil history of gas and petroleum is the same, since they were both formed by the decomposition of ancient marine plankton. Before natural gas can be used as a fuel, the heavier hydrocarbons of butane and propane are extracted; in liquid form, these hydrocarbons are forced into containers as bottled gas. The remaining ‘dry gas’ is piped to consumers for use as fuel. Dry gas is composed of methane and ethane.

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