Ethane
From Wikimarcellus
Ethane is a natural gas liquid (NGL) richly found in the Marcellus shale's wet gas region. Ethane burns very hot and must be removed from natural gas before it can be used to heat homes and for industry. It is removed with a thermal cracker and produces ethylene, a basic feedstock for plastic manufacturing.
There are presently no crackering facilities in the Appalachian Basin, but with full development of the Marcellus shale it is anticipated that one or more will eventually be set up in the area.
Most U.S. petrochemical plants are located on the Gulf Coast and it is where ethane must be shipped for sale. As of October, 2010 there still was a lack of infrastructure to move product to market. Two projects underway to address that need include:
