22 ©2018 The NEED Project Elementary Energy Infobook www.NEED.org
Propane is the gas we use to fuel our backyard grills. It is a lot like natural
gas—you cannot see it, smell it, or taste it, but you can burn it to produce
heat energy.
Propane has been around for millions of years, but no one knew it. It is buried
underground in sedimentary rocks with natural gas and petroleum.
Propane wasn’t discovered until 1912. The scientists knew they had found
a good, new energy source. One year later, people were using it to heat
their homes.
Propane is a Fossil Fuel
Propane is a fossil fuel. It was formed hundreds of millions of years ago, long before the
dinosaurs. Like oil and natural gas, it was formed from tiny sea animals and plants.
The plants got their energy from the sun. This is the energy in propane. Propane’s energy came
from the sun.
Propane is mixed with natural gas and petroleum when it comes from the ground. It is separated
out at natural gas processing plants and oil reneries.
Propane is Nonrenewable
The propane we burn today was made a long time ago.
It took hundreds of millions of years to form. We can’t
make more propane in a short time. It is a nonrenewable
source of energy.
We get propane from petroleum and natural gas. Our
supply of propane depends on our supply of these other
fossil fuels.
Propane
Pipelines are used to transport propane and natural gas
to a processing facility.
©2018 The NEED Project Elementary Energy Infobook www.NEED.org 23
Propane is Portable
When propane comes out of the ground, it is a gas. But
when it is put under pressure, it becomes a liquid. A lot
more liquid can be put into a tank than gas. A tank of
propane gas might last a week. The same sized tank of
liquid propane could last ve years!
Liquid propane is portable—that means it is easy to move
from place to place. We use small tanks of liquid propane
for our barbecue grills. One tank can last all summer.
We Use Propane Every Day
Many farms in the United States use propane to dry crops,
run tractors, and heat barns. Businesses use propane for
heating and cooking. Most of the carts and vehicles that
we drive inside buildings use propane for fuel. It is a clean
burning fuel.
Some cars and buses use propane for fuel. It is a very clean
fuel. It doesn’t pollute the air like gasoline. Engines must
be changed to use propane though, and that is expensive.
Some people in the country don’t have natural gas
pipelines near their homes. They use propane instead.
They put big propane tanks outside their houses. Delivery
trucks bring the propane right to their houses.
A propane grill.
This forklift is fueled by propane.
Propane is stored in a large tank. It is used to
provide energy for heating, cooking, and drying
clothes.
