Fossil fuel
Fossil fuel, which became extensively used in countries around the world by the 19th Century, is a non-renewable form of energy that meets about 85 percent of the energy demands of the United States of America.[1] The three types of fossil fuel are coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Fossil fuel makes our daily life possible, it helps in the production of commercial goods.
How is fossil fuel used
There are three type of fossil fuel that could be used for different purposes as listed below
Oil
Naturally extracted from the ground, then refined in refineries, it is known as the world’s primary source of transportation. After being refined by oil companies, oil can be transformed into commercial products that we use every day such as; Pesticides, agriculture fertilizers, and the production of plastics. Oil is also used in the making of asphalt for roads, fuel for cars and jets, lubricants such as grease, and many more.[2]
Coal
This form of fossil fuel is mined from the ground around the world; this form of fossil fuel is used to generate electrical power. Coal is responsible for 39 percent of the electricity supply in United States as of 2014. [3] It is very diverse in its use. Its use could range from generic electricity generation to electrical utilities that are used in our homes. It could also be used to make steel and cement. [2]
Natural gas
The third form of fossil fuel, drilled from the same well as oil and later removed through distillation process. This types of fossil fuel burns cleaner than oil and coal. Natural gas could be used in our homes for cooking, heating and powering air conditioning, accounted for 27 percent of energy use in the United States as of 2014.[3] This form of gas has its highest demand in the winter periods because consumers use this form of energy to heat their homes.[2] There are different types of natural gases commonly used in our everyday operations such as methane, propane, butane, and ethane. [4]
How Is fossil fuel produced
Fossil fuels were formed millions of years ago, there are different types of fuels which were formed by dead plants and animals. Some scientists refer to this as “organic matter” which is carbon-based matter on Earth. The only problem with using these resources is that they are non-renewable and they are very hard to replace once they are gone. Many of the carbon compounds are combustible which means they can be used to release heat energy. Different types of fossil fuels are formed depending on what was decomposed. The changes and movement of the earth cause pressure and heat to cook the organic material and form natural gas. The same forces cause coal to form. [5]
Environmental effects
As seen in earlier paragraph, United States and, most of the world has high depends on Fossil fuel. Our over reliance on fossil fuel is leading to air pollution and global warming. The burning of fossil fuel is releasing carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and many other gases that are harmful to our environment. Due to an increases in the emission of these harmful gases the atmosphere on earth is warming at a very dangerous rate; in recent times we have reached the hottest period in the last couple years, and this is all attributed to the use of fossil fuel. [6]
See also
Other closely related articles in this wiki include:
References
- ↑ Environment, A. (2009, June 30). The High Cost of Fossil Fuels. Retrieved February 3, 2016, from http://www.environmentamerica.org/reports/ame/high-cost-fossil-fuels
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Renewable & Non-Renewable Energy Sources - Conserve Energy Future. (n.d.). Retrieved March 4, 2016, from http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fossil Fuels | EESI. (2015). Retrieved February 8, 2016, from http://www.eesi.org/topics/fossil-fuels/description
- ↑ Natural Gas. (2015, November 20). Retrieved April 05, 2016, from http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/energy/natural-gas.html
- ↑ George Viebranz. (n.d.). How Were Fossil Fuels Formed? Retrieved March 4, 2016, from http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2013/12/20/how-were-fossil-fuels-formed-part-1-of-5/
- ↑ Environment, A. (2009, June 30). The High Cost of Fossil Fuels. Retrieved February 3, 2016, from http://www.environmentamerica.org/reports/ame/high-cost-fossil-fuels
External links
Relevant online sources to this wiki article include:
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