The first-ever globally consistent survey commissioned by the World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFRP) has established that the African continent’s efforts to reduce gas flaring are succeeding. Africa was formerly the highest producer of gas flaring.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest producer of gas, has steadily worked towards reducing flaring, and is no longer the world’s biggest producer of gas flaring, with 23-billion cubic metres a year, after a reduction of 10-billion cubic metres a year. The study established that Russia produces twice as much flaring as Nigeria, at 50,7-billion cubic metres a year, according to the flaring volumes calibration defence meteorological satellite programme chart. Much of the region where oil is pumped is a maze of winding mangrove creeks and waterways. Leafy, green and humid, Ebocha-Egbema is an unremarkable collection of small villages with tin-roof houses and shops, located in the heart of the Rivers State in Nigeria's turbulent oil-producing Niger Delta. Huge flames billow in the air over Ebocha, and above them, black clouds leap into the sky. The giant gas flares operated by Agip-Nigeria belch out noxious fumes that loom over homes, farms and shops. There's a strange smell and an audible hiss in the air. Residents of the Niger Delta region, where Ebocha is located, say gas flaring is ruining lives and livelihoods.

Nigeria is slowly working towards minimising flaring. Nigeria has established a zero or minimum flaring deadline for 2008, which is a component of the oil, gas, mining and chemicals department of the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. The gas-flaring study has proved to be very useful for scientists who are tracking gas flaring worldwide. The study has also found that flaring has not increased over the past 12 years and has stayed stable at between 150-billion cubic metres and 170-billion cubic metres. The days of tracking gas flares through official estimates are finally over. Through the monitoring of gas flares through space, we can finally have reasonable estimates of the volumes being wasted. Now governments and companies can all have a better sense of how much gas they are actually flaring.

African countries that form part of the GGFRP and have successfully reduced flaring over the past 12 years include Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Libya, and Nigeria. Although a reduction in flaring is taking place in many countries, African countries such as Nigeria, Algeria, Angola, Libya and Gabon are still among the world’s 20 largest flaring producers.

Africa alone contributes 40-billion cubic metres of gas every year that could be used for beneficial purposes. African countries are struggling to reduce gas flaring owing to weak markets, infrastructure restrictions, underdeveloped regulatory frameworks and limited international access to gas markets. Even though such deterrents are causing a common struggle for most developing countries, the GGFRP is focusing on four vital areas to over- come these barriers, namely commercialising associated gas, setting up regulations for associated gas, implementing global flaring and venting reduction standards, and setting up capacity building to obtain carbon credits for flaring and venting reduction projects. Companies are changing their strategies towards using excess gas for energy. The only time gas flares are produced is when [not doing so] causes safety problems.

Our society has a huge demand for fuels and products derived from petrochemicals, and increasingly for ones that are cleaner and cheaper.

Several alternatives to oil are being developed, but in the shorter term none is as attractive as methane or natural gas. Natural gas including Methane would be even more attractive if it could be easily converted into a liquid. Mixture of flammable gases found in the Earth's crust (often in association with petroleum). It is one of the world's three main fossil fuels (with coal and oil).

Again, West Africa has been riding the crest of a wave of oil and gas exploration and development over the past few years. The rate of discovery of new reserves has been the fastest of any region over the previous five years, and western oil and gas majors have rushed to the Gulf of Guinea as a result. The region has now reached the stage where companies are beginning to look towards downstream products in order to achieve higher returns on investment, and a slew of new gas-based projects .

Natural gas, a non-renewable resource, is formed from the remains of dead plants and animals. As these plants and animals died they were buried with mud near the sea floor. Over millions of years, heat from the Earth's interior and pressure from overlying rocks slowly changed the dead remains into hydrocarbons (substances containing hydrogen and carbon). The hydrocarbons, being light molecules, moved upwards and became trapped beneath impermeable rocks.

Every day in southern Nigeria, almost 2 mn cubic feet of natural gas is burnt during crude oil production, more than is flared anywhere else in the world. In fact, Nigeria is endowed with the tenth largest proven natural gas reserves, and according to the World Bank, gas flared in Nigeria is equivalent to total annual power generation in sub-Saharan Africa. Natural Gas reserves in Nigeria are, in energy terms , at least twice that of crude oil reserves, natural gas being in the region of 124 trillion cubic feet (TCF). At present utilisation levels, this will last for over 100 years. Natural Gas is a naturally occurring gaseous mixture of hydrocarbon gases found in underground reservoir. It consists mainly of methane (70% - 95%). With small percentages of ethane, propane, butane, pentane and other heavier hydrocarbons with some impurities such as water vapour, sulphides, carbon dioxide, etc. The ethane, propane, butane, pentane etc, hydrocarbon components of natural gas are collectively called natural gas liquids (NGLs). These NGLs are found in larger quantities in associated gas streams than in non-associated gas streams. Natural gas is a versatile and environmentally preferred fuel as it produces no soot or ash, nor pollutants and as such has a major role to play in alleviating air pollution problems. It is also cheaper than most competing fuels and has become a major source of energy for both commercial and industrial consumers as well as a chemical feedstock for numerous processes.

Gas flaring not only wastes a valuable resource, but is also a major cause of environmental pollution in the Niger River Delta, where most of Nigeria's oil output is produced. There is growing anger among local inhabitants at the damage caused to their health and ecosystem by oil production activities, especially gas flaring and crude oil spillage

Natural Gas is a vital component of the world's supply of energy. It is one of the cleanest, safest, and most useful of all energy sources. Despite its importance, however, there are many misconceptions about natural gas. For instance, the word 'gas' itself has a variety of different uses, and meanings. When we fuel our car, we put 'gas' in it. However, the gasoline that goes into your vehicle, while a fossil fuel itself, is very different from natural gas. The 'gas' in the common barbecue is actually propane, which, while closely associated and commonly found in natural gas, is not really natural gas itself. While commonly grouped in with other fossil fuels and sources of energy, there are many characteristics of natural gas that make it unique.

The presence of large reserves of natural gas in many parts of the world - often in remote areas - is stimulating Nigeria's efforts to convert methane, its principal component, into liquid fuels and chemicals. Such chemical conversion processes, often called Gas-to-Liquids or GTL, will provide a more economic way of transporting gas instead of pipelines and LNG (liquefied natural gas) to the customer. These conversion technologies have the potential to create new, large, non-traditional markets for natural gas in the transportation fuel and chemical feedstock sectors.

Natural Gas is used in over 60 million homes. In addition, natural gas is used in 78 percent of restaurants, 73 percent of lodging facilities, 51 percent of hospitals, 59 percent of offices, and 58 percent of retail buildings. Natural gas, in itself, might be considered a very uninteresting gas - it is colorless, shapeless, and odorless in its pure form. Quite uninteresting - except that natural gas is combustible, and when burned it gives off a great deal of energy. Unlike other fossil fuels, however, natural gas is clean burning and emits lower levels of potentially harmful byproducts into the air. Natural gas is a highly flammable hydrocarbon gas consisting chiefly of methane (CH4). Although methane is always the chief component, it may also include other gases such as oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, ethane, ethylene, propane, and even some helium. We require energy constantly, to heat our homes, cook our food, and generate our electricity. It is this need for energy that has elevated natural gas to such a level of importance in our society, and in our lives. As a fuel, natural gas is convenient and efficient. It is used primarily for heat, in industrial, commercial and residential settings. In many homes the house and water are heated by gas, the food is cooked with it and clothes dried. It is also used to produce electricity, in many cases using gas fired turbines that are similar to jet engines. Gas has the great advantage of producing no smoke or ash on burning, although it is usually much more expensive than coal as a fuel.

Natural gas is a combustible mixture of hydrocarbon gases. While natural gas is formed primarily of methane, it can also include ethane, propane, butane and pentane. The composition of natural gas can vary widely, but below is a chart outlining the typical makeup of natural gas before it is refined.

Typical Composition of Natural Gas

Methane CH4 70-90%

Ethane C2H6 0-20%

Propane C3H8

Butane C4H10

Carbon Dioxide CO2 0-8%

Oxygen O2 0-0.2%

Nitrogen N2 0-5%

Hydrogen sulphide H2S 0-5%

Rare gases A, He, Ne, Xe trace

In its purest form, such as the natural gas that is delivered to your home, it is almost pure methane. Methane is a molecule made up of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms, and is referred to as CH4.

Ethane, propane, and the other hydrocarbons commonly associated with natural gas have slightly different chemical formulas, which can be seen here. For a closer look into the combustion of methane:

A Methane molecule, CH4

Natural gas is considered 'dry' when it is almost pure methane, having had most of the other commonly associated hydrocarbons removed. When other hydrocarbons are present, the natural gas is 'wet'. Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons, chiefly methane (80%), with ethane, butane, and propane. Natural gas reservoirs are often found beneath the seabed and drilling technology is used to locate these supplies. The gas is usually transported from its source by pipeline, although it may be liquefied for transport and storage and is, therefore, often used in remote areas where other fuels are scarce and expensive.

Another source of gas is from the cracking of crude oil into simpler molecules. Methane, propane, and butane are all gases that can be produced from the cracking process. The gases are liquefied and stored under pressure. Propane and butane also undergo combustion when ignited in air. Large amounts of heat energy are released in the reaction.

Natural gas has many uses, residentially, commercially, and industrially. For more information on the multiple uses of natural gas, click here. Found in reservoirs underneath the earth, natural gas is commonly associated with oil deposits. Production companies search for evidence of these reservoirs by using sophisticated technology that helps to find the location of the natural gas, and drill wells in the earth where it is likely to be found. To learn more about the new technologies and their environmental impact, click here. Once brought from underground, the natural gas is refined to remove impurities like water, other gases, sand, and other compounds. Some hydrocarbons are removed and sold separately, including propane and butane. Other impurities are also removed, like hydrogen sulfide (the refining of which can produce sulfur, which is then also sold separately). After refining, the clean natural gas is transmitted through a network of pipelines, thousands of miles of which exist in the United States alone. From these pipelines, natural gas is delivered to its point of use. For more information on how natural gas gets from underneath the ground to its final destination.

Natural gas can be measured in a number of different ways. As a gas, it can be measured by the volume it takes up at normal temperatures and pressures, commonly expressed in cubic feet. Production and distribution companies commonly measure natural gas in thousands of cubic feet (Mcf), millions of cubic feet (MMcf), or trillions of cubic feet (Tcf). While measuring by volume is useful, natural gas can also be measured as a source of energy. Like other forms of energy, natural gas is commonly measured and expressed in British thermal units (Btu). One Btu is the amount of natural gas that will produce enough energy to heat one pound of water by one degree at normal pressure. To give an idea, one cubic foot of natural gas contains about 1,027 Btus. When natural gas is delivered to a residence, it is measured by the gas utility in 'therms' for billing purposes. A therm is equivalent to 100,000 Btu's, or just over 97 cubic feet, of natural gas.

Natural gas is a fossil fuel. Like oil and coal, this means that it is, essentially, the remains of plants and animals and microorganisms that lived millions and millions of years ago. But how do these once living organisms become an inanimate mixture of gases? There are many different theories as to the origins of fossil fuels. The most widely accepted theory says that fossil fuels are formed when organic matter (such as the remains of a plant or animal) is compressed under the earth, at very high pressure for a very long time. This is referred to as thermogenic methane. Similar to the formation of oil, thermogenic methane is formed from organic particles that are covered in mud and other sediment. Over time, more and more sediment and mud and other debris are piled on top of the organic matter. This sediment and debris puts a great deal of pressure on the organic matter, which compresses it. This compression, combined with high temperatures found deep underneath the earth, break down the carbon bonds in the organic matter. As one gets deeper and deeper under the earths crust, the temperature gets higher and higher. At low temperatures (shallower deposits), more oil is produced relative to natural gas. At higher temperatures, however, more natural gas is created, as opposed to oil. That is why natural gas is usually associated with oil in deposits that are 1 to 2 miles below the earth's crust. Deeper deposits, very far underground, usually contain primarily natural gas, and in many cases, pure methane.

Natural gas can also be formed through the transformation of organic matter by tiny microorganisms. This type of methane is referred to as biogenic methane. Methanogens, tiny methane producing microorganisms, chemically break down organic matter to produce methane. These microorganisms are commonly found in areas near the surface of the earth that are void of oxygen. These microorganisms also live in the intestines of most animals, including humans. Formation of methane in this manner usually takes place close to the surface of the earth, and the methane produced is usually lost into the atmosphere. In certain circumstances, however, this methane can be trapped underground, recoverable as natural gas. An example of biogenic methane is landfill gas. Waste-containing landfills produce a relatively large amount of natural gas, from the decomposition of the waste materials that they contain. New technologies are allowing this gas to be harvested and used to add to the supply of natural gas.

A third way in which methane (and natural gas) may be formed is through abiogenic processes. Extremely deep under the earth's crust, there exist hydrogen-rich gases and carbon molecules. As these gases gradually rise towards the surface of the earth, they may interact with minerals that also exist underground, in the absence of oxygen. This interaction may result in a reaction, forming elements and compounds that are found in the atmosphere (including nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, and water). If these gases are under very high pressure as they move towards the surface of the earth, they are likely to form methane deposits, similar to thermogenic methane.

Although there are several ways that methane, and thus natural gas, may be formed, it is usually found underneath the surface of the earth. As natural gas has a low density, once formed it will rise towards the surface of the earth through loose, shale type rock and other material. Most of this methane will simply rise to the surface and dissipate into the air. However, a great deal of this methane will rise up into geological formations that 'trap' the gas under the ground. These formations are made up of layers of porous, sedimentary rock (kind of like a sponge, that soaks up and contains the gas), with a denser, impermeable layer of rock on top. This impermeable rock traps the natural gas under the ground. If these formations are large enough, they can trap a great deal of natural gas underground, in what is known as a reservoir. There are a number of different types of these formations, but the most common is created when the impermeable sedimentary rock forms a 'dome' shape, like an umbrella that catches all of the natural gas that is floating to the surface. There are a number of ways that this sort of 'dome' may be formed.

For instance, faults are a common location for oil and natural gas deposits to exist. A fault occurs when the normal sedimentary layers sort of 'split' vertically, so that impermeable rock shifts down to trap natural gas in the more permeable limestone or sandstone layers. Essentially, the geological formation which layers impermeable rock over more porous, oil and gas rich sediment, has the potential to form a reservoir. The picture below shows how natural gas and oil can be trapped under impermeable sedimentary rock, in what is known as an anticlinal formation. To successfully bring these fossil fuels to the surface, a hole must be drilled through the impermeable rock to release the fossil fuels under pressure. Note that in reservoirs that contain oil and gas, the gas, being the least dense, is found closest to the surface, with the oil beneath it, typically followed by a certain amount of water.

With natural gas trapped under the earth in this fashion, it can be recovered by drilling a hole through the impermeable rock. Gas in these reservoirs is typically under pressure, allowing it to escape from the reservoir on its own. In addition to being found in a traditional reservoir such as the one shown above, natural gas may also be found in other 'unconventional' formations. To learn more about unconventional natural gas formations, click here. Now that the basics of natural gas as a fossil fuel have been discussed, click here to proceed to information on the history of natural gas!

Natural Gas is vital to America's manufacturers, not only to power their operations, but also as an essential feedstock for many of the products we use daily -- clothing, carpets, sports equipment, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, computers, and auto parts. It is also a primary feedstock for chemicals, plastics and fertilizers. Natural gas is also an essential raw material for many common products, such as: paints , fertilizer, plastics, antifreeze, dyes, photographic film, medicines, and explosives. Industry depends on it. Natural gas has thousands of uses. It's used to produce steel, glass, paper, clothing, brick, electricity and much more! Homes use it too. More than 62.5 percent of homes use natural gas to fuel stoves, furnaces, water heaters, clothes dryers and other household appliances. It is also used to roast coffee, smoke meats, bake bread and much more.

Natural gas is a clean burning domestic energy source that powers our economy. It cools and warms our homes and businesses, is used to generate electricity, and helps maintain our quality of life. As a fuel, natural gas is convenient and efficient. It is used primarily for heat, in industrial, commercial and residential settings. In many homes the house and water are heated by gas, the food is cooked with it and clothes dried. Gas is also used to produce electricity, in some cases using gas fired turbines that are similar to jet engines, in others to fire steam boilers. Small gas-fired generators, called micro turbines, have recently been introduced. Gas is often used to heat industrial and commercial boilers and pressure vessels. Natural gas burns more cleanly than other fossil fuels. It has fewer emissions of sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen than coal or oil, and it has almost no ash particles left after burning. Being a clean fuel is one reason that the use of natural gas, especially for electricity generation, has grown so much and is expected to grow even more in the future.

Of course, there are environmental concerns with the use of any fuel. As with other fossil fuels, burning natural gas produces carbon dioxide, which is the most important greenhouse Many scientists believe that increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere are changing the global climate. As with other fuels, natural gas also affects the environment when it is produced, stored and transported. Because natural gas is made up mostly of methane (another greenhouse gas), small amounts of methane can sometimes leak into the atmosphere from wells, storage tanks and pipelines. The natural gas industry is working to prevent any methane from escaping. Exploring and drilling for natural gas will always have some impact on land and marine habitats. But new technologies have greatly reduced the number and size of areas disturbed by drilling, sometimes called "footprints." Satellites, global positioning systems, remote sensing devices, and 3-D and 4-D seismic technologies, make it possible to discover natural gas reserves while drilling fewer wells. Plus, the use of horizontal and directional drilling make it possible for a single well to produce gas from much bigger areas.

Natural gas pipelines and storage facilities have a very good safety record. This is very important because when natural gas leaks it can cause explosions. Since raw natural gas has no odor, natural gas companies add a smelly substance to it so that people will know if there is a leak. If you have a natural gas stove, you may have smelled this "rotten egg" smell of natural gas when the pilot light has gone out. Consumers, industries, and can all benefit from its use. Here are just some examples of the many uses of natural gas. Uses of natural gas in transportation cover everything from cars and trucks to heavy-duty service vehicles. "Clean Air" natural gas buses are popular in Canada and some European countries, and more vehicles are now running on dual fuel, allowing owners to switch between gasoline or natural gas depending on needs and circumstances. Tupolev a Russian Firm is working on the design of an aircraft that would be able to fly on a combination of natural gas and hydrogen.

Many home appliances run on natural gas, including furnaces, barbecues, fireplace logs, pool and spa heaters, and fire pits. Uses of natural gas at home also include residential heating, with 51 percent of American homes choosing gas as their main source of heat. Natural gas air conditioning is not as popular as the electrical alternative, but it does exist. Uses of natural gas in the industrial sector are divided between production and energy. Natural gas is used in the making of anti-freeze and plastic. Food processing industries use basically only natural gas to power up their plants, but waste treatment and petroleum refining are also big consumers of natural gas. Because many gases can be extracted as a sub product of natural gas, the uses of natural gas go beyond what the gas itself can provide.

Because natural gas is cleaner than coal or petroleum, scientists are researching new ways to use and produce it. Many scientists are interested in using natural gas to generate electricity. Engineers have already developed ways to use coal/petroleum and natural gas together to generate electricity, but a device called a fuel cell can use natural gas alone. A fuel cell is similar to a battery. It uses a chemical process rather than combustion (burning) to convert the energy of a fuel into electricity. The chemical process is much more energy-efficient than combustion and it emits no air pollutants. Unfortunately, the technology to generate electricity from fuel cells must be improved if it is to be commercially successful.

Scientists are also researching new ways to obtain natural (methane) gas from biomass--a fuel source derived from plant and animal wastes. Methane gas is naturally produced whenever organic matter decays. Today we can drill shallow wells into landfills to recover the methane gas. Landfills are already required to collect methane gas as a safety measure. Typically, landfills collect the gas and bum it to get rid of it. But the gas can be put to work. Last year over four billion cubic feet of landfill methane gas was used for heating and electricity production. There are other ways to convert biomass into natural gas. One method converts aquatic plants, such as sea kelp, into methane gas. In the future, huge kelp farms could also produce renewable gas energy.

Another successful development has been the conversion of natural gas into a liquid state. In its liquid state, natural gas is called LNG, or liquid natural gas. LNG is made by cooling natural gas to a temperature of minus 260 degrees F. At that temperature, natural gas becomes a liquid and its volume is reduced 615 times. (A car reduced 615 times would fit on your thumbnail.) Liquid natural gas is easier to store than the gaseous form since it takes up much less space. LNG is also easier to transport. People can put LNG in special tanks and transport it on trucks or ships. Today more than 100 LNG storage facilities are operating in the United States.

While Nigeria's development of the oil, the raw material that petroleum products are made from; a black liquid fossil fuel found deep in the Earth-gasoline and most plastics are made from oil returns false mirage. Oil sector has been good for the country's economy, oil sector development as well, has had an adverse impact on the country's environment. The use of solid biomass, such as fuel wood, is prevalent and constitutes a major energy source for rural Nigerians. The production and consumption of commercial renewable energy in Nigeria remains quite limited.

Oil extraction in the Niger Delta region has caused severe environmental degradation, owing to the legacy of oil spills, lax environmental regulations, and government complicity during military regimes that once governed the country. Although the situation is improving with more stringent environmental regulations for the oil industry, marine pollution is still a serious problem. Air pollution from natural gas, though odourless, colourless, tasteless, non-toxic clean-burning fossil fuel. Natural Gas flaring, exhaust emissions from the explosion in car ownership, and electricity generators continue to leave Lagos shrouded in smog.

With Nigeria's population continuing to increase, the pressure on the country's environment is due to increase as well. Even with the added focus on cleaning up the Niger Delta and tightening environmental laws and regulations, gas flaring remained the nightmare and threat in the life of these poverty-ridden dwellers. Nigeria is an oil-rich Cinderella state that never quite made it to the ball. During the 1970s, when oil prices rocketed, Nigeria looked set to become the shining example of a prosperous and democratic West African republic but perversely managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The gas flaring have rebounded but grief and sorrow have multiplied in our citizens.

The stake-holders of all the oil operating companies in this nation should join hand with our government and citizens to harness this natural gas very well to meaningfully reverse the adverse effect to an economically-prone effect that could better the lots of the Niger Deltans and Nigerians at large, as done inside the developed nations.