Gulf oil & gas disaster, lobbyists, Obama & huge threat of natural gas (methane) to Humanity & Biosphere
20 June 2010, 09:31, by Dr Gideon Polya
The upper estimate of annual greenhouse gas (GHG) contribution from global leakage of industrial methane (4,395 Mt CO2-e annually ) is 77.2% of that from natural gas burning (see above).
Accordingly society burning 1 tonne of natural gas (methane) is actually associated with emission of 2.8 tonnes CO2 (from burning) plus a further 0.772 x 2.8 = 2.2 tonnes of CO2-e (from methane leakage) for a total of 4.0 tonnes CO2-e (CO2 equivalent) as compared to 3.7 tonnes CO2 from burning 1 tonne of black coal.
If we assume that on an energy yield basis natural gas yields 0.5 tonne CO2 as compared to 1.0 tonne for black coal to produce the same energy then we find that factoring in the effect of methane leakage (and ignoring methane leakage from coal mines) this becomes 0.9 tonnes CO2-e from methane (0.5 tonne CO2 from methane burning plus 0.772 x 0.5 = 0.4 tonne CO2-e from methane leakage) versus 1.0 tonne CO2 from black coal burning in producing the same amount of electricity.
The upper estimate of annual greenhouse gas (GHG) contribution from global leakage of industrial methane (4,395 Mt CO2-e annually ) is 77.2% of that from natural gas burning (see above).
Accordingly society burning 1 tonne of natural gas (methane) is actually associated with emission of 2.8 tonnes CO2 (from burning) plus a further 0.772 x 2.8 = 2.2 tonnes of CO2-e (from methane leakage) for a total of 4.0 tonnes CO2-e (CO2 equivalent) as compared to 3.7 tonnes CO2 from burning 1 tonne of black coal.
If we assume that on an energy yield basis natural gas yields 0.5 tonne CO2 as compared to 1.0 tonne for black coal to produce the same energy then we find that factoring in the effect of methane leakage (and ignoring methane leakage from coal mines) this becomes 0.9 tonnes CO2-e from methane (0.5 tonne CO2 from methane burning plus 0.772 x 0.5 = 0.4 tonne CO2-e from methane leakage) versus 1.0 tonne CO2 from black coal burning in producing the same amount of electricity.