When most people think of petroleum energy, they immediately think of the gas that is used in their cars. While petroleum energy is used to make this gas, that is only part of what this amazing energy is capable of doing. Petroleum energy is found deep within the earth in various rock formations. The word petroleum means “rock oil” as it is literally a liquid that can be found within the rocks. The liquid is extremely flammable and is a mixture of many different natural compounds, the main compound being hydrocarbons.
Petroleum is a known crude oil, meaning that it is a naturally occurring product that is distilled or refined in order to produce fuels, asphalt, lubricating oils, and other necessary products. Petroleum energy is also commonly known as solid asphalt, tar, or natural gas. At present, it is estimated that as much as 70% of the world’s energy consumption comes from crude oil and natural gas. Because petroleum is a non-renewable energy and because it is one of the most popular natural energies on earth, there are many concerns over how much petroleum is remaining in the earth.
Although there is almost no part of daily life that is not affected by petroleum energy, its biggest use is in fuel production. The fuels produced are: ethane, diesel fuel, fuel oils, gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, and natural gas. The hydrocarbons of petroleum energy can be used for many different purposes as well. These include: plastics made from alkenes, lubricants, such as motor oil, wax which is found in frozen food packaging, asphalt, and sulfur or sulfuric acid.
There are many advantages to using petroleum energy. The first is that it is a fairly affordable alternative to other forms of natural gas. It is also very light, which means that when it is used inside a car as a source of fuel, the car does not become weighed down by the weight of the gas. However, petroleum energy is not without its flaws.
Although other natural energies may not be very good for the environment, petroleum energy is one of the worst. It needs to be extracted out of the ground and this is quite costly. It is also usually extracted through water, by means of the ocean. This is very bad to the environment as the sea life that has made that area its natural home are disturbed when oil is being extracted. Oil spills have also been known to happen and while this is damaging if it happens on land, it’s even more damaging if it happens in the water. This is because the water will turn the oil into a very thin layer that will encompass many nautical miles and stretch to the beaches of the shore.
Petroleum energy production also produces significant amounts of carbon dioxide emissions. Because of this, it is the least environmentally friendly form of energy production we know. Further, because petroleum is a non-renewable resource, the Earth’s supply is limited making petroleum energy one of the least green forms of energy that we use today.
