Fossil fuels

Fossil Fuel
As the trees and the plants died they sank
to the bottom of the surface of ocean. They
formed layers of a spongy material called
peat. Over many hundreds of years, the
peat was covered by sand and clay and
other minerals, which turned into a type of
rock called sedimentary.
More and more rock piled on top of it. It
began to press down on the peat. The Peat
was squeezed and squeezed until the water
came out of it and it eventually, over
millions of years, it turns into coal, oil or
petroleum and natural gas.
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Workhorses Of Our Energy

Sector
Fossil Fuels are energy-rich
substances that have formed from
long-buried plants and
microorganisms.
The gasoline that fuels our cars, the
coal that powers electrical plants, the
natural gas that heats our homes are
all fossil fuels.
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They are indispensable

High energy density

73,890 BTU/ lb of Natural Gas

17,400,000 BTU/ton of Lignite Coal
138,000 BTU/gal of Fuel oil

Relative inexpensiveness.
Needed to provide back up.
The entire transportation
infrastructure is built around fossil
fuels.
It is next to impossible to alter these
to suit any other resources.
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Use of Fossil Fuel

Fossil fuels are used to fuel cars and airplanes, power
electricity plants, and heat our homes.
They are also used to make medicines, cosmetics,
plastics, synthetic fabrics, and lubricants.
When you brushed your teeth today, you used a
product made from oil toothpaste.
Look at your shoes they are a product made from
oil.
Sunglasses, tires, tennis balls and TVs are all
products of oil and gas.
Next time your playing basketball with your friends,
think about the ball your dribbling
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Three Major Forms of Fossil

Fuel
Coal
Oil
Natural Gas

Coal
Coal is a Hard-Black colored rock-like
substance. It is made up of carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and
varying amounts of sulphur.

COAL
First fossil fuel to be discovered.
Pushed to background because of its
environmental effects.
The two major uses for coal steel
production and electricity.
Accounts for 23% of the global
primary energy demand, 38% of
world electricity production and 70%
of world steel production.
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Types of Coal
Anthracite: This coal is the hardest
and has more carbon which gives it
a higher energy contents.
Bituminous: It is in between,today
the precursor to coal peat is still
found in many countries and is also
used as a energy source.
Lignite: It is the softest and is low in
carbon but high in hydrogen and
oxygen content.

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Natural Gas
Natural gas is lighter than air. Natural gas is made out of
methane, which is a simple chemical compound made up
of carbon and hydrogen atoms. This gas is highly flammable.
Natural gas is found near oil in the ground. It's pumped, just
like oil, from wells that tap into the source and send it to
large pipelines. Because you can't smell or see natural gas, it
is mixed with a chemical to give it a stinky smell - like
rotten eggs. That way, it's easy to tell if there's a leak.
After the stinky chemical is added, the natural gas is sent
through underground pipes which go to your home so you
can cook food and heat your house. It's also sent to factories
and power plants to make electricity. Natural gas is burned
to produce heat, which boils water, creating steam, which
passes through a turbine to generate electricity.
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Natural gases
Produce: steel, glass, paper,
clothing, brick, electricity.
Some products that uses natural
gases as raw material are: paints ,
fertilizers , antifreeze, dyes ,
photographic film, medicines and
explosives.

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Oil
Oil is a thick, black, sticky liquid also called
petroleum. It's found way down in the ground,
usually between layers of rock. To get oil out, a
well is dug. Digging a well is like putting a
straw into a can of pop. The oil is then pumped
out of the ground, just like when you suck pop
up the straw. Oil is carried in pipelines and
large tanker ships. A refinery changes the oil
into products like gasoline, jet fuel and diesel
fuel. It's also burned in factories and power
plants to make electricity. The oil is burned,
which produces gases that turn a turbine to
create electricity.
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Oil
Used for petroleum products and
motor gasoline
A few products made from petroleum
are :ink, cryons, dishwashing liquids,
deodrants, eyeglasses, cds, dvds,
tires and ammonia.

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Disadvantages of Fossil
Fuels
Pollution is a major disadvantage of fossil fuels. This is
because they give off carbon dioxide when burned thereby
causing a greenhouse effect. This is also the main
contributory factor to the global warming experienced by
the earth today.
Coal also produces carbon dioxide when burned compared
to burning oil or gas. Additionally, it gives off sulphur
dioxide, a kind of gas that creates acid rain.
Environmentally, the mining of coal results in the
destruction of wide areas of land. Mining this fossil fuel is
also difficult and may endanger the lives of miners. Coal
mining is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the
world.

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Disadvantages of Fossil
Fuels
Power stations that utilize coal need large amounts of fuel. In
other words, they not only need truckloads but trainloads of
coal on a regular basis to continue operating and generating
electricity. This only means that coal-fired power plants
should have reserves of coal in a large area near the plants
location.
Use of natural gas can cause unpleasant odors and some
problems especially with transportation.
Use of crude oil causes pollution and poses environmental
hazards such as oil spills when oil tankers, for instance,
experience leaks or drown deep under the sea. Crude oil
contains toxic chemicals which cause air pollutants when
combusted.
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