What are fossil fuels and how they formed

As we pointed at the beginning, the energy sources that come from fossil fuels are those that are composed of the fossil remains of vegetable and animals. The process of formation of fossil fuels lasts a lot of time, is a really slow process, because it is not only about the decomposition itself, but also of fossilization and various geochemical changes.

Thus, these energy sources are extracted from the earth and from the aquatic funds, as they are found in various layers underground. Depending on the depth and conditions of the specific area, we can find one type or another of fossil fuel. He Origin of fossil fuels It is considered that it was about 300 million years ago, when much of the planet was covered by leafy forests, especially ferns, and swamps. Plants are a large reserve of diverse chemical energy and, at that time, the amounts of gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide were different from the current ones, which made the fossils of those plants especially rich in certain gases and chemical substances that favored the process that results in these current energy sources.

Specifically, any type of plant or animal rests, fossilizes and goes through various changes, according to the pressures and temperatures of the area. When there are remains on the ground, they are covered by layers of sediments, so the pressures and temperatures are producing biochemical and geological changes In this area. In this way, what had been a piece of fern, for example, it happens to form coal thanks to these changes that occur over millions of years.

Although, currently, All fossil fuels in the world are considered reserves We cannot use them all, because we will see below, they will end in a relatively short time.

Specifically, these fossil energy sources are coming from Oil, natural gas and coal and some fossil fuel examples are:

• Gasolinas
• Coal
• Peat
• Lignite
• Anthracite
• Petrochemicals
• Gas

Non -renewable energies are those that we can consider finite, that is, They have a limit because what is spent does not regenerate. As we have said, these fossil energy sources are formed from remains of living, animals and plant beings, which decompose and suffer various chemical changes, so we might think that it is a source of which there will always be because all living organisms end up dying. However, the truth is that in what we know as the period of time of humanity, that is, from the point of view of humans, Fossil fuels are non -renewable energies.

The reason is that as it is a process that takes thousands or even millions of years to occur, because it does not take the same to form oil than to form natural gas, really, the reserves we currently have are finite. In fact, at the high pace we extract these energy sources We do not give them time to regenerate Or renew, because it is a very slow process, and, therefore, we say that they are non -renewable although from here to thousands or millions of years there could be more, perhaps humanity no longer knows this part.

Oil is one of fossil fuels They house more controversy, since it is used for countless aspects today, from fuels to plastics production, but is one of those that most damage the environment.

Oil is an oily liquid compound, mainly, based on carbon and hydrogen. Although it was from the second industrial revolution that began to be used more, ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and the Romans already used it. We can find it at different depths, specifically from 600 meters to 5,000 meters deep.

It is highly valued because apart from being able to use as fuel by itself, you can obtain different derivatives that have more applications. It is used for both gasoline of different types, and to light, manufacture plastics, asphalt for roads, clothing, etc.

In addition, there is Liquefied oil gaswhich is the mixture that is obtained from the butane and the propane that are obtained by refining the oil, as well as when extracting natural gas. It is used for vehicles, factories and heating.

Another fuel called fossils is The coalwhich is a mineral from which there are various types although all come from Plant remains of millions of years ago. With the process mentioned in the first section, with layers of sediments on top, pressure changes, temperature and other chemical changes, coal that can be of different types were formed depending on whether it is more or less compact. This feature changes according to the area and the depth to which it has been formed.

We have used it as fuel for factories, transport, heating, etc., in fact, it was the fuel used for steam machines. In its extraction and in its use, when burning, great pollution occurs, especially for CO2.

The Types of coal There are four:

• Peat
• Lignite
• Coal
• Anthracite

The last fossil fuel we discussed is Natural gas. Its composition is mainly methane, one of the gases that produce greenhouse, and carbon and hydrogen effect. It is produced by the process mentioned above and follows from oil, so it is normal to find it near this other fuel.

It is extracted through perforations and pipes and is stored in containers until it is transporting with Gas pipelines. It is also mainly used for heating, transport and industrial processes. This gas is toilet and, as it is toxic and can be very dangerous, when extracted it is added smell to be able to easily detect it.

They are the energy sources that have been used since the first industrial revolution began, in the second half of the 18th century. Some examples of main uses of fossil fuels In our day to day they are the following:

• Gasolines, diesel, diesel, diesel and other fuels for transport.
• Heating.
• Kitchens.
• Lightning.
• Factory operation.

There are, as in everything, Advantages and disadvantages of fossil fuels. For example, among the advantages we have that are one of the main energy sources of today, for centuries, and especially for transport and factories, instead among the disadvantages we find clear factors such as non -renewable energies and produced Great pollution throughout the environment. As a summary, these are the main advantages and disadvantages of fossil energy sources:

Advantages

• There are easy ways to extract them when they occur in open land.
• In various countries its extraction is very facilitated.
• They are easy to accumulate and transport.
• Compared to other energies, these are cheap.
• They produce a lot of energy.

Disadvantages

• Fossil fuels are very slowly regenerated
• Its distribution on the planet is not homogeneous.
• The decomposition of these products is very slow.
• Using them increases pollution, as they are large emitting sources of toxic and greenhouse gases, as well as toxic waste itself. So much is given, soil pollution, such as water and air pollution.
• Although in principle they are cheap compared to others, it really changes depending on their availability by being non -renewable, when they always scarce the price greatly increases. Therefore, the exhaustion of short and medium term reserves produces an increase in the price.
• Being a limited resource has been and is a source of conflicts between different countries.

He Environmental impact of fossil fuels It is really negative. Without going any further, the use of these energy sources has been guilty of various catastrophes. In this other article we tell you 7 natural disasters caused by man, of which several are from fossil fuels such as oil and its derivatives and natural gas.

Both to extract and refine and then use these fuels, the environment looks very damaged. From Petroleum spills in the water that is totally contaminated, ending with many living beings, even explosions and Natural gas fires In their own origin that, still today, continue to burn and expel CO2, which contributes to worsen the greenhouse effect and climate change.

If you want to read more articles similar to What are fossil fuels and how they formedwe recommend that you enter our category of non -renewable energy.