Natural gas for oil refineries, and the fuel source in hydrogen vehicles. Protein rich animal and fish feed is produced by feeding natural gas to Methylococcus capsulatus bacteria on commercial scale. Natural gas is also used in the manufacture of fabrics, glass, steel, plastics, paint, and other products. Natural gas is mainly composed of methane. After release to the atmosphere it is removed by gradual oxidation to carbon dioxide and water by hydroxyl radicals () formed in the troposphere or stratosphere, giving the overall chemical reaction + 2 → + 2. While the lifetime of atmospheric methane is relatively short when compared
Natural gas carbon dioxide, water vapor, and sometimes helium and nitrogen. Natural gas is often informally referred to simply as "gas", especially when compared to other energy sources such as oil or coal. However, it is not to be confused with gasoline, especially in North America, where the term gasoline is often shortened in colloquial usage to "gas". Natural gas was discovered accidentally in ancient China, as it resulted from the drilling for brines. Natural gas was first used by the Chinese in about 500 BC (possibly even 1000 BC). They discovered a way to transport gas seeping from the ground in