A Valuable Byproduct
The natural gas produced from the Marcellus Shale would not only help meet the energy needs of West Virginia and America, it also contains some important byproducts that have a number of important applications.
One of these byproducts is ethane — a natural gas liquid derived from shale gas and used to create ethylene, which in turn is used to make plastic. The process used to get this byproduct is called "cracking."
According to a new report from the American Chemistry Council, ethane derived from Marcellus Shale has the potential to add about 25 percent of additional ethane to the United States by 2015 or 2016. This increase is estimated to lead to 17,000 jobs in the U.S. chemical industry, and additional 395,000 jobs in other industries related to the chemical industry.
Ethane production also has the potential to provide a direct boost to West Virginia’s economy, as well.
According to Tyler Star News, the Bayer Corporation is considering building a $1 billion ethane production facility near New Martinsville, WV or near Charleston. According to Bayer, such a plant would offer jobs paying “in the range of $60,000 per year.”
The Charleston Gazette reports, according to West Virginia Secretary of Commerce Keith Burdette, that an ethane production facility could create more than 6,300 jobs once it began operating.
The West Virginia economy would benefit not only from the investment to produce the natural gas from the Marcellus Shale — it would benefit from the investment to process the ethane from facilities located in the Mountaineer State that employ West Virginia workers.
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