Oil and natural gas belong to the class of energy resources that we know as fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are called that because they have formed from vegetable and animal fossils that were buried inside the earth’s crust for millennia and have been transformed due to high pressures and temperatures. Natural oil and gas are two of the most used fossil fuels and most coveted by the energy and chemical industry.
Unfortunately, these energy sources are not unlimited and both their extraction and their treatment and their use have negative consequences in the environment and precisely why in ecology we will tell you about Environmental impact of oil and natural gas.
What is oil
Oil is an oily or viscous liquid of dark color, with acre smell and with a greater density than water. It is a mineral liquid that has been confined inside the earth for hundreds and thousands of years and has great energy potential.
This dark liquid was formed from Marine animal and vegetable organisms that when they died they were deposited in the depth of the oceans. It also happened in the mouths of the rivers, lagoons, lakes and coasts. These remains were degraded by the bacterial communities and were being hidden under rocks and sediments. Over time, the pressure exerted by the layers of sediments and the ocean were modifying the structure and composition of these remains until they transformed into hydrocarbons (carbon and hydrogen molecules), sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen and other gases.
On the other hand, that same pressure causes the oil to be expelled to the earth’s surface through channels and cracks of the sedimentary rocks that are above. Oil You can handle the surface directly or if you find a porous and incomprehensible rock it can be stored there, this type of rock is known as warehouse rock.
However, that First oil or rawas is normally called, which is extracted cannot be used directly. For that, we must submit to a refining process, which is mainly based on fractional distillation. When applying different temperatures, products such as methane, ethane, propane, butane, gasoline, kerosene, fueluole, paraffins or targets that can be used are obtained.
What is natural gas
He natural gas as well as oil is also formed by Hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons are lighter and that’s why they are in a gaseous state. Natural gas is mostly composed of methane and ethanealthough it can also contain propane, butane and other heavier hydrocarbons. When hydrocarbons are superior to methane, that is, more than one carbon, it is known as rich gas, in the opposite case it is called dry gas. Natural gas may contain other gases that are considered impurities, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide or helium.
Natural gas, like oil is in underground deposits. It may be associated with oil or can be found separately. The origin of gas is the same as from oil and comes from the action of microorganisms on Organic remains stored in the rock. Due to the degradation of the remains, gases were released that were stored inside the earth and subsequently gave rise to natural gas.
Learn more about this fossil fuel with this other article on why natural gas is a non -renewable energy.
The great environmental impact of oil and natural gas
Next, let’s talk about the main impacts of oil and natural gas on the environmentas well as the impacts that other activities related to them have.
Planet pollution
Both extraction, such as the treatment and consumption of oil and natural gas can contaminate the different basic elements of nature: air, water and earth.
As we already know oil and natural gas are non -renewable energy sources and also contribute to the greenhouse effect. Its combustion emits greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane among others, which accumulate in the atmosphere and favor global warming. Oil and natural gas is used in numerous daily activities (transport, heating, etc.) and industrial activities. Although it is true that the combustion of natural gas produces less carbon dioxide than oil (around 15-20% less CO2 than gasoline), it does release other very polluting gases such as mercury and nitrogen and sulfur oxides that are also responsible for phenomena such as acid rain and smog. During their extraction, gases and particles are also eliminated that increase Atmospheric pollution.
On the other hand, their extraction and transport also produce Water pollution And also soil pollution around. Its extraction in many cases entails the fracture of the terrain and this can cause leaks of gases and oil towards groundwater and seas. In addition, the fact of fracturing the terrain causes the soil to be lost and that it is more susceptible to erosion, due to its contamination produced by the addition of substances to extract black gold and the remains of it after passing through rock material.
The transport of these two fossil fuels also involves risks to the environment such as leaks or accidents, the construction of pipelines and gas pipelines and the emissions of the vehicles that transport them to the industries or places where they are going to be treated.
To give a more concrete example, here you can know a type of severe pollution that can produce oil: black tides.
Pipelines and gas pipelines
Pipelines and gas pipelines are pipe networks that are built to transport oil and natural gas, respectively, from the point of extraction to the place of refining or treatment. As this can be deduced, it is closely related to the previous section because its transport entails risk and accident risks that can contaminate anywhere.
In addition, it must be borne in mind that the deposits are normally found in areas far from cities and inhospitable and uninhabited places (deserts, jungles, oceans), therefore, these pipes are of immense length. The Pipeline and gas pipeline construction It also entails other environmental impacts and can be a barrier to the movement of species in the ecosystems they are going through.
Accidents
Accidents such as Petroleum Platform of the Gulf of Mexico In April 2010 or the accident of the prestige ship In 2002 that transported oil on the Galician coasts have very negative impacts on the environment. These accidents and many others throughout history have caused the death of many living beings (especially affect birds), have contaminated waters and beaches for many years and have affected the socio -economic activities of the areas. In many cases these accidents are caused by the lack of investment in quality infrastructures and surveillance work, as well as human carelessness and especially due to lack of awareness of the environment. In other cases, they are intentionally spotted, which is even more worrying.
In this other post of ecology, we show you 7 natural disasters caused by man.
Fracking
Fracking is a technique that is very in vogue and is based on the generation of fissures in the rock to increase extraction and favor that both oil and natural gas flow abroad through a well. Through this method, high pressure water is injected so that a controlled fracture is opened at the bottom of the well. An additional problem is the Introduction of chemicals that are added in this phase of production and also escape the atmosphere.
Within the environmental impacts of this technique, the contamination of aquifers and groundwater, the high consumption of water, noise pollution, atmosphere and soil due to the movement of chemical gases and products are underlined and also the generation of tremors or seismic movements. It can also have effects on the health of workers and the inhabitants of the environment
Deforestation and loss of biodiversity
As we have mentioned before, accidents can cause death and poisoning of many living beings. In addition, the prospecting of both resources entails the construction of oil plants that bother the species and make them move to other places or, in other cases, prevent their displacement, since these infrastructure imply a barrier for migration. On the other hand, ecosystems are also contaminated due to spills, the use of chemicals and the gases and residues that are generated by endangering the communities of living beings and producing loss of biodiversity.
Oil and natural gas extraction also contributes to Deforestation of the planet, because in many cases the oil deposits are in the depth of the jungles and forests so it is necessary to cut the trees. This implies the destruction of numerous habitats and ecological functions, as well as the threat to the survival of the species that live there.
Here you can learn more about the causes of deforestation.
Other impacts
There are another kind of impacts that derive from these resources, especially from oil. This is not only used as fuel, but also as Petrochemical industry raw material. From the petrochemical industry, 60% of chemicals and 80% of organic products that are marketed are for example. Some examples of these products are fertilizers, plastics, antifreeze fluids, detergents and soaps, rubbers, dyes, explosives, solvents, gasoline, paraffins, plasticizing fibers and others. The production of these substances generates even more Toxic chemicals And the presence of these materials or products in the environment also involves a serious environmental problem such as the problem of plastics.
If you want to read more articles similar to Environmental impact of oil and natural gaswe recommend that you enter our pollution category.
