Products That Use Natural Gas
Natural gas is found in abundance throughout much of the world, an energy source plentiful in the United States. Advocates have been pushing for the use of natural gas for two reasons: we control the stock and it is one of the cleanest burning fossil fuels available.
Surprisingly, quite a few products run on or use natural gas.
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City Buses
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Compressed natural gas, or CNG, is used by many public buses operating in U.S. cities. Older diesel buses are being replaced by CNG-powered buses or supplemented by clean-burning diesels and the newest technology -- hybrid buses.
Heavy Duty Trucks
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Powered by polluting diesel engines for many years, trucks that run on CNG are slowly being introduced to the market. Daimler AG has introduced a CNG option in its popular Freightliner line of big trucks.
Passenger Vehicles
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The Honda Civic GX, introduced in the 2004 model year, is the only mass-produced car on the market that runs on CNG. It also carries the distinction as producing the fewest emissions of any car on the planet. Aftermarket conversion kits allow people to convert their cars to run on compressed natural gas. The infrastructure is still limited, but many owners install home-based filling stations to serve their personal needs.
Homes
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Your home may already use natural gas, thanks to clothes dryers and water heaters powered by this fuel source. But they are not the only products that use natural gas, as many furnaces, ovens, fireplaces, gas grills, patio heaters and outdoor lighting are also powered by natural gas.
Essential Ingredient
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Natural gas is an essential ingredient in different products, including paint, dyes, plastics, antifreeze, photography film, fertilizer, medicine and explosives.
Liquid or Gas
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Natural gas can be stored in liquid form when chilled to temperatures of minus-260 degrees Fahrenheit. When changed into a liquid, it occupies just 1/600th of the space it would need in its gaseous form. This makes transporting liquid gas on trucks or tankers easier, converting back to its gaseous state when delivered to customers or placed in pipelines.
Looking forward
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Because natural gas is widely available in the United States and is a clean-burning fuel, including it in a comprehensive national energy strategy would lessen the dependency on foreign sources of energy. Billions of dollars spent to transport gas and oil from overseas can be used in our own back yard, providing jobs and a cleaner environment at home.
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