Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable

Education to the national gas industry

Eastern Gas
Compression Roundtable

CH4 Facts

CH4 Facts: Indoor Pollution from Open Fires

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Why is it problematic when 33% of the earth’s population still use open fires for cooking? Unfortunately, these cooking methods are responsible for the premature death of almost 4 million people per year. Indoor pollution from cooking can cause pneumonia, stroke, heart disease, COPD, and lung cancer. Natural gas is a much safer and cleaner fuel source for these communities, and we should encourage developments in those areas. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Source: Household air pollution and health (who.int)

Gas burner with flame

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CH4 Facts: Polluting Fires vs. Safe, Clean Natural Gas

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To continue the discussion around food safety and natural gas, the World Health Organization (WHO) says “2.6 billion people cook using polluting open fires or simple stoves fueled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal.” That’s 33% of the earth’s population. Providing these communities with safe, clean natural gas to heat their homes, cook their food, and power their lives is critical for developing areas. It makes you wonder why anyone would object. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Source: Household air pollution and health (who.int)

Cooking fire over rock

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CH4 Facts: Creating Food Containers

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That was a pretty picture of canned fruit in glass jars in our last CH4 Facts post, but did you know that natural gas is a key component to creating food containers? Not just glass, but also aluminum cans, plastic containers, Styrofoam, and more. Can you think of a container that isn’t made with natural gas? If you have a specific question, send us a message and plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CH4 Facts: Food Safety

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OK, now I am interested. We have discussed healthcare and agriculture, now let’s go to the place where the 2 topics meet: food safety. The ability to safely preserve food has been a game changer for civilizations. Humans no longer had to follow the hunter/gatherer model that required people to be nomadic. A key ingredient to many methods of food preservation is heat. Lots of heat. Whether you are in a commercial canning operation, or doing it like your granny taught you, we need heat to kill micro-organisms like bacteria that lead to food spoilage. Often, natural gas serves as a fuel source either directly, or indirectly through power generation. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Jars of home-preserved food

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CH4 Facts: Transporting Agricultural Products

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I think we have just about covered agriculture, right? We have scraped the surface on the topic of the use of natural gas in agriculture, but there is still one huge facet we haven’t talked about — transportation. I know we covered it in healthcare, too, but it is even more relevant and vital in agriculture. From the grain carts active in the fields, the 18-wheelers hauling products to the grain bins, and the rail cars, barges, and ships that transport products regionally and internationally, transportation is interwoven with agriculture. Natural gas plays a huge role in the manufacture, operation, and maintenance of the transportation industry. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Towboat driving a barge on the river

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CH4 Facts: Natural Gas Helps Preserve a Harvest

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Oh, so natural gas is critical to plant growth in agriculture? Yes it is, but natural gas can also play an important role in preservation of the harvest. Plants ranging from corn to tobacco can require drying for moisture reduction and preservation. The ability to artificially accelerate drying with heat and air movers can add much needed flexibility in a farmer’s schedule. This ability can even allow production in geographical areas with reduced growing seasons. Natural Gas serves as a fuel source for much of this equipment either directly or through power generation stations that deliver electricity to the equipment. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Ohio grain silos

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CH4 Facts: Let’s Talk Greenhouses

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More on Agriculture? Yep… let’s talk greenhouses. Greenhouses play a critical role for food and plant production. These operations allow farmers to plant indoors weeks ahead of the day it is safe to plant outside. Greenhouses also allow for out of season production and flowering in any climate. There is even a productive greenhouse in Antarctica. Natural gas plays a key role in maintaining a hospitable environment in greenhouses as well as the manufacture of the glass and material components. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Greenhouse

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CH4 Facts: Natural Gas & Agriculture

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Beyond fertilizer, does natural gas support agriculture in other ways? It sure does… let’s talk production. The term “acre” originally was defined as the area one man could plow behind an ox in a single day. When you compare that definition to what a single farmer can do with modern equipment, there is an exponential difference. Natural gas is a key component in the manufacture, operation, and maintenance of that equipment. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CH4 Facts: Fertilizer

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We have talked about how fossil fuels have impacted healthcare, but are there other ways natural gas impacts life expectancy? Yes, there definitely is. Let’s talk fertilizer. In the graph below, you can see how crop fertilization has fueled and supported the world population explosion. Natural gas is critical in the production of synthetic fertilizers. If you have a specific question, contact us directly or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Source: Max Roser and Hannah Ritchie (2013) – “Fertilizers”. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: ‘https://ourworldindata.org/fertilizers’ [Online Resource]

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973

CH4 Facts: Pharmaceutical Prices

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If healthcare is so closely tied to fossil fuels, do we see a fluctuation in healthcare cost when supply pricing of fossil fuels changes? Yes, but an even more interesting trend is what happens when the medical industry doesn’t use fossil fuels. A Kaiser study found that from 2000-2008, pharmaceutical price increases rose by approximately 114% in comparison to other medical expenditure categories. For example, hospital and patient services increased roughly 88%. During this time, the pharmaceutical industry was pursuing replacing chemical agents with biological agents in their processes. It turns out that the expense to manufacture and administer those biological agents was significantly higher. If you have a specific question, send us a message or plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Source: Norbeck TB. Drivers of health care costs. A Physicians Foundation white paper – second of a three-part series. Mo Med. 2013;110(2):113–118.

CH4 facts

EGCR: Educating the Oil & Gas Industry Since 1973