Difference between revisions of "Petroleum and Advantages"
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Petroleum and Advantages
What is crude oil or petroleum? It is a natural liquid that is found in some
permeable rocks that are below the top layer of the earth. It is composed of
hydrocarbons of different sizes and types blended together. Oil is made from a
slow adaptation of organic products. After liquid hydrocarbon is purified it can
produce a variety of products such as flammable fuel, lubricants, and
petrochemicals. These byproducts will have different color, make-up, and
thickness. When crude oil is disassociated by purification, products produced
are things such as kerosene, diesel fuel, gas, different alcohols, and benzene.
Oil is divided into two categories, either asphalted compounds or paraffin. It
is then referred to as having an asphalt, paraffin, or medium base.
Petroleum is a very versatile material. We use it daily but there are things
made using petroleum that you would be surprised at. I was surprised to learn
that plastic is made from petroleum. Plastic is used for toys, computers, in our
homes, cars, and even clothing. Products made from petroleum are used to make
roads and even as artificial rubber in tires. More things that come from
petroleum are detergents, herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, furniture,
paints, upholstery, and backing for carpet.
Other very important things come from oil such as helium and sulfur. We all
know, however, that petroleum is used mainly for fuel and lubricative oils. The
everyday person really pays no attention to supplies of petroleum unless for
some reason we don’t get as much of it as we usually do.
The quest for oil can take companies as far as six miles down into the earth.
Even though it costs millions of dollars to drill for oil it is such a valuable
resource it is worth the expense. Even though most oil is used for heating oil,
gas or jet fuel, this mineral can also be used for electricity. Approximately
80% of oil stockpiles are in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, United Arab
Emirates, Iraq, Qatar, and Kuwait provide about 62.5% of the Middle East oil.
Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the United States are the top three countries
producing oil.
Today we do have quite a few choices other than petroleum. There are
advancements for cars like ethanol, hybrids, and hydrogen. These seem to look
promising but many things have to come together before they are ready for the
market. Although we have these promising new advancements they have not been
tested enough to know they will save consumers money and be environmentally
friendly.
After studying costs and advantages of petroleum, tests conclude that oil is the
best by far and easiest to transport.
By: Bradley Skierkowski