This gas is lighter than air and is highly flammable, made up mainly of a gas called methane. Methane is a simple chemical compound that is made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Natural gas usually has no odour and cannot be seen. Before it is sent to the pipelines and storage tanks, it is mixed with a chemical that gives it a strong odour, almost like rotten eggs. The odour makes it easy to detect a leak.
Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel.
When it is burned, it gives off less carbon dioxide than oil or coal, virtually no sulphur dioxide, and only small amounts of nitrous oxides. Natural gas is mostly composed of methane and other light hydrocarbons. Both the carbon and the hydrogen in methane combine with oxygen when natural gas is burned, giving off heat. Coal and oil contain proportionally more carbon than natural gas, therefore giving off more carbon dioxide per unit of energy produced. Carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas contributing to global warming.