Toddsterpatriot
Diamond Member
You're right, both burn clean, but, natural gas contains methane, propane does not.
Propane is also more efficient than natural gas. You would burn two units of natural gas to one unit of propane to get the same amount of BTU's.
While natural gas and propane both burn clean, the reason propane is considered "green" and natural gas isn't is because of the methane. If propane leaks into the environment, it will not harm the eco system. If natural gas leaks into the environment, it will do damage because of the methane it contains.
3 Differences between Propane and Natural Gas
Defining Natural Gas and Propane What is Natural Gas? Natural gas is a fossil fuel, extracted from below the earth's surface. Natural gas is mainly composed of methane, but it is actually a mixture of gasses, containing smaller amounts of propane, butane, and ethane. What is Propane...genesee-energy.com
Differences between Propane and Natural Gas
- Heat Energy Efficiency: Propane delivers more than twice the energy of natural gas as measured in BTUs (British Thermal Unit), which means a propane furnace will be a more efficient source of heat. To put it differently, a propane furnace will produce the same amount of heat using half the amount of fuel. This is an important factor to consider when the price of natural gas per unit is usually a bit more than propane. People often look at just the price, without considering the fact that a natural gas furnace will burn twice the amount of fuel as it’s propane counterpart.
- Clean and Green: While both natural gas and propane are clean burning, Propane is considered a green fuel, where natural gas is not. The difference is that propane is eco-friendly both before and after combustion. Propane is non-toxic and not damaging to the environment when leaked into the atmosphere. Natural gas, on the other hand, is composed mainly of methane, which when leaked into the environment before combustion is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases.
5 Differences Between Natural Gas and Propane
Understanding the differences between natural gas & propane is essential to choosing the right type of fuel for your Charles Town, WV, home.www.griffithenergyservices.com
Propane is the cleanest burning fossil fuel available, and it produces about half the carbon dioxide and other emissions of gasoline. It also doesn’t harm water or soil. Natural gas is mostly made up of methane, a greenhouse gas that’s about 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Fortunately, natural gas also burns more cleanly than most other fossil fuels. Therefore, pollutants from natural gas can usually only get into the atmosphere after leaks in pipelines or accidents during drilling. After spending several years in the air, methane will break down into carbon dioxide on its own.
Since coal power plants are popular in the United States, methane and propane are both more environmentally friendly than electricity in many areas. Both types of fuel are hydrocarbons, but they have different chemical compositions. Methane is CH4, and propane is C3H8. Propane is actually a byproduct of petroleum refining and natural gas processing, along with other hydrocarbons like butane, ethane, and pentane.
Propane is also more efficient than natural gas. You would burn two units of natural gas to one unit of propane to get the same amount of BTU's.
Why do you think that means it "burns cleaner"?
Propane is the cleanest burning fossil fuel available, and it produces about half the carbon dioxide and other emissions of gasoline.
How much carbon dioxide does it produce compared to methane?
