What is added to natural gas to odorize it?

What is added to natural gas to odorize it?

• A. Ethyl mercaptan
• B. Butanol
• C. Mercaptan
• D. Chlorine

Answer: (C)

Natural gas is odorless, so a strong, detectable smell is added on purpose to reveal leaks quickly. The odorant used is a mercaptan, a sulfur-containing compound that delivers a very noticeable odor even at tiny amounts. This makes it easy to detect leaks by smell, which is crucial for safety in gas systems. Ethyl mercaptan is a common example of this type, and tert-butyl mercaptan is another widely used variant. The general term mercaptan is used because it covers the standard odorizing agents chosen for their extremely low detectable concentrations and chemical stability in the gas stream. Other substances like chlorine would be hazardous and are not used for this purpose; butanol isn’t used for odorizing gas.

Natural gas is odorless, so a strong, detectable smell is added on purpose to reveal leaks quickly. The odorant used is a mercaptan, a sulfur-containing compound that delivers a very noticeable odor even at tiny amounts. This makes it easy to detect leaks by smell, which is crucial for safety in gas systems. Ethyl mercaptan is a common example of this type, and tert-butyl mercaptan is another widely used variant. The general term mercaptan is used because it covers the standard odorizing agents chosen for their extremely low detectable concentrations and chemical stability in the gas stream. Other substances like chlorine would be hazardous and are not used for this purpose; butanol isn’t used for odorizing gas.