Natural Gas

Natural Gas is a combustible gaseous resource used primarily as a fuel in late early- to mid-game power generation and high-end cooking in Oxygen Not Included. It appears naturally from Natural Gas Geysers and as a byproduct of several industrial processes, can be produced by refining Crude Oil, and can be harvested on certain rocket missions. Natural Gas burns cleanly in dedicated buildings but produces Polluted Water and Carbon Dioxide as byproducts, so its use requires management of waste gases and liquids.

Natural Gas is consumed by the Natural Gas Generator at a rate of 90 g/s, producing 800 W of power, 67.5 g/s Polluted Water, and 22.5 g/s Carbon Dioxide. It is also the fuel for the Gas Range to prepare the game's highest-quality food (Gas Range consumes 100 g/s while duplicants cook and emits 25 g/s Carbon Dioxide), and the Dehydrator consumes 20 g/s of Natural Gas when dehydrating those high-quality foods. Natural Gas can be fed into these buildings via gas pipes or stored and transported like any other gas.

Primary sources and production methods:

• Natural Gas Geysers are the main native source.
• Oil Refinery produces 90 g/s Natural Gas when refining Crude Oil to Petroleum.
• Oil Well yields 33.3 g/s Natural Gas alongside Crude Oil.
• Condensing Sour Gas from Petroleum yields Methane at a 2:3 mass ratio; Methane vaporizes to Natural Gas under appropriate conditions.
• Gassy Moos produce Natural Gas by eating Gas Grass and excreting 16.65 g/s.
• Fertilizer Synthesizer emits 10 g/s Natural Gas as a byproduct.
• Duplicants with the Flatulent trait emit 100 g of Natural Gas every 10–40 seconds (equivalent to roughly 10–2.5 g/s); sustaining a generator from flatulent dupes alone requires dozens of them (a continuous single generator needs about 36 flatulent duplicants with extra generators used for overflow).
• In the Spaced Out! DLC, Natural Gas (and related products) can be obtained on certain space POIs: Exploded Gas Giants, Exploded Ice Giants, and Oily Asteroid Fields yield Natural Gas in various forms and rates during rocket missions.

Practical notes and interactions:

• Burning Natural Gas in generators yields a liquid waste stream (Polluted Water) and CO2 gas; plan plumbing and gas routing accordingly to avoid suffocating duplicants or fouling oxygen production. Polluted Water produced by generators is a significant wastewater source that can be treated or recycled.
• Use Gas Pumps, Gas Filters, and vents to direct Natural Gas into generators and to separate exhaust Carbon Dioxide; consider using Air Scrubbers and Carbon Skimmers to remove CO2 and Polluted Water.
• When using oil-processing chains (Oil Wells, Oil Refineries), account for the Natural Gas output as a renewable fuel if space allows.
• Natural Gas storage and transport require gas pipes and gas reservoirs or pressurized containers when moving between industrial zones and power plants.
• When harvesting Natural Gas on rockets, expect it in solid, liquid, or gas form depending on the POI; plan for conversion and storage back at base.

Limit the environmental impact of large Natural Gas usage by routing generator Polluted Water to treatment systems and by managing the Carbon Dioxide with dedicated gas handling and oxygen production setups. Natural Gas is an efficient and compact energy source when its byproducts are properly managed.