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| Natural Gas |
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| It is a mixture of gaseous hydro-carbons. It is found usually along with petroleum deposits. Natural gas consists mainly of 85% methane, 10% of ethane and 3% of propane and butane. It may also contain nitrogen, oxygen, carbon di-oxide and hydrogen sulphide. |
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| Its great advantage is that it can be used directly for burning in homes and factories using pipelines. |
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| Natural gas is a rich source of hydrogen gas and hence can be used to manufacture fertilizers. Methane is mixed with steam and passed over a nickel catalyst where a reaction takes place. |
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| Carbon dioxide is removed. The hydrogen
is mixed with nitrogen which has been extracted from the air. The hydrogen
and nitrogen react together to form ammonia. |
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| Natural gas is also used to produce carbon black which is used as a filler in the manufacture of tyres. |
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| Chemists have found ways not only to separate the various oil fractions but also learned to convert one oil fraction into another by means of a process called 'cracking'. It is a process in which heavier oil fraction is treated with a suitable catalyst at an appropriate temperature. Here the molecules of heavier fractions break into that of lower hydrocarbons forming a volatile liquid. |
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| Cracking is needed to increase the yield of petrol. As petrol is in high demand. Chemists are able to convert the molecules of a heavier oil fraction (heavy oil) into the molecules of a lower hydrocarbons to form a volatile liquid (petrol). |
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