Liquefied petroleum gas known in some countries as propane, butane, bottled gas, or cooking gas is a clean-burning and efficient cooking fuel used by most people around the world. It has long been a popular choice of fuel for high-income people. Some in the development community dislike LPG because it is nonrenewable. But as it is an inevitable byproduct of oil and natural gas production and oil refining, a global LPG surplus exists. Some of the surpluses are vented or flared at oil and gas production sites, wasting this valuable fuel resource and spewing carbon back into the atmosphere. Though there are several benefits of LPG still about 40 percent of the world’s population uses solid fuels and kerosene. The burning of solid fuels and kerosene has deleterious health, economic, and environmental consequences. Every year up to four million people die prematurely from the effects of household air pollution caused by cooking with solid fuels, most of them in low- and middle-income countries.
LPG emits negligible amounts of black carbon and other short-lived pollutants that contribute to global warming. LPG has a clean emission profile and low sulfur content and therefore is great fuel for different purposes. LPG has a high calorific value and therefore takes less time for sting when compared to other fuels. The maximum flame temperature for LPG is around 2,000°C. Though the only drawback for LPG as cooking fuel is its affordability which is a barrier for many households that want to use LPG. Studies have shown that the subsidies have more advantages on the high-income users than the low-income users as the initial cost of LPG is too high and low-income people can’t afford it. Also in many developing countries, access to LPG is limited to urban areas and in rural areas, there is a constant shortage of LPG supply. Also, there is a lack of awareness about LPG and its benefits due to which LPG has not become as popular as it should be. The low cost of fuelwood makes it more viable than LPG for people living in rural areas.
People need to be educated about the convenience of using LPG and how it can reach customers safely with a good gas delivery service by gas agencies. It can be easily transported and therefore can be used for different industries. The popularity of LPG is increasing day by day all over the world but affordability is still a big concern among low-income people .
