Fossil Fuels – discovery, utilisation and future

As industry developed and increased, as did the need for reliable and efficient sacks to military unit the new machinery developed. It did non take long forrader fossil provides were disc e trulywhereed, with their innate ability to provide uplifted amounts of dynamism at inflictmingly low cost.Fossil fuels ar found deposited in rock formations. They were make out between 350 million and 50 million years ago, and so, although atomic number 18 technically renewable, it would take this long to rework them, which does non really help us today, it is due to the fact we need this long to pull ahead them that they are considered nonrenewable, and therefore go away at some point run out. The processes by which they formed are not totally understood, other than that sediments buried decayed remains of ancient plants and/or animals. This is then effectively cook over millions of years under conditions of very high temperature and pressure, creating coal, oil, and natural gas , which consist of roughly 90% atomic number 6Fossil fuels are employ widely in all forms of industry, in fact, coal, petroleum and gas provides over 90% of the zero used in most industrialized countries, compared with just 9% which hydroelectricity and nuclear originator provide together.You can read also WavesWhen looking at the properties of a good fuel, it is easy to see why fossil fuels are used* A fuel should react with an oxidiser to release openhanded amounts of energy carbon based fuels release over 30000 kJ per kilogram* A fuel must be oxidised fairly intimately, commove quickly and sustain importunate without further intervention gaseous or easily vaporized fuels ( much(prenominal) as oil) usually perform well here as the mix easily and continuously with type O which speeds up the reaction. Coal is often crushed to form small powders to make it ignite easier, however it is evident from steam the reliability of steam trains that carbon is easily burnt.* A fuel sh ould be readily available, in queen-size quantities and at a reasonable price initially this could be express to be true about fossil fuels, but now, as state become more mindful of their cons, and of other fuels pros, they are becoming more expensive and less available. Still, the price of oil is so to a great extent depended upon by the economy, that even the slight fluctuation in price can cause a sylvan to go to war or a government to fall.* A fuel should not burn to go along products that are difficult to dispose of, unpleasant or harmful fossil fuels definitely do not fall under this category, but the but fuel that does fall under this category is hydrogen.* A fuel should be convenient to stock and transport safely and with out loss fossil fuels are the only type of fuel that people are before long comfortable with storing, hydrogen and methane are so combustible that people get nervous about using them for cars, and until a safe way of storing them is developed, fossil fuels will take a leak to continue to be usedYou may then wonder what the problem with fossil fuels is as they are obviously good at their job. What we must consider is the fact that they are non-renewable, and that we are down them at an incredible rate. It is predicted that most of the Earths oil sources will be depleted over the century. Also, fossil fuels are used in many important chemical industries, such as making plastics, medicines, and solvents, and by burn them, we are decreasing our the feedstock for these vital products.Fossil fuels such as oil are made into these products by means of with(predicate) a series of different processes. First the oil is fractionally distilled then the different sections join together to make polymers. These synthetic plastics and solvents are used largely in everyday demeanor, such as polystyrene cups and PVC plastic.Secondly, the burning of carbon based fuels produces large amounts of carbon dioxide that is one of the main co ntributors to the greenhouse effect. There are such drastically high levels of carbon dioxide in the air that the only real solution would be to ban all use of fossil fuels, but countries have become so dependant upon them that is not feasible.Thirdly, spillages of fossil fuels cause serious damages to local environments. When an oil tanker crashes, immense amounts of sea life and birds die, and the effects are disastrous.Fourthly, inefficient burning of fossil fuels results in the production of carbon monoxide, which is a very harmful and poisonous gas. Inhalation of this gas is likely to cause death as it interferes with the transport of oxygen in the blood stream.Fifthly, combustion of fossil fuels also produces gases such as northward oxides, which cause bitter rain.In particular we can look at oil. Numerous countries entire economies now rely on the price of oil, as their entire wealth is in the drilling, extracting, and trading in it. This is cause for great appertain as oil is non-renewable, and we are consuming it so quickly, it will inevitably run out, and counties will no longer be able to rely on it.We have seen in the past that countries entire economies have collapsed due to minor fluctuations in the oil market, therefore total collapse of the market would be withering for many of the worlds major and influential countries. Also, there would be immense amounts of job losses that would inevitably motivate the society this can be seen by looking at the destruction caused when the coalmines closed.There are hardly a(prenominal) ways which can be seen to overcome this imminent problem, however, one, most likely solution would be to canvass alternatives to fossil fuels, but all of the possible alternatives have their advantages and disadvantages which must be taken into account before making any changes.* Biofuels (plants can be grown specifically for fuel or the production of fuel, such as wood or sugar cane. Biogas and biomass created by the gr owing and decaying of plants already produce usable fuel so this could easily be exploited to create a fuel source.) Advantages renewable, reduces waste, simple technology. Disadvantages not a large enough supply to totally replace fossil fuels* Methanol CH3OH (this is a simple intoxicant which can be made from methane.) Advantages burns cleanly and completely Disadvantages more toxic than ethanol, provides less energy per litre than petrol, can cause corrosion of car engines.* Nuclear fission (energy is released when the nuclei of atoms of isotopes of uranium U-35 are split. The energy created can be used to heat water to turn steam turbines.) Advantages no carbon, sulphur, or nitrogen oxides produces. Disadvantages radioactive waste, safety systems needed are very expensive.* Nuclear fusion (energy is released when deuterium and tritium fuse to create helium) Advantages potentially almost limitless as an energy supply as the reactants come from water. Disadvantages very costly, cannot currently be produced at economic rates.* Moving air (wind turns windmills and wind turbines. Lots of research is already universe carried out and soon may provide 10% of the UKs energy) Advantages renewable, contamination and waste free, can be used in locality to where the energy is needed. Disadvantages high initial expense, not reliable in calm weather, mental disorder and visual environmental impact* Moving water (Hydroelectricity water stored behind dams can be released through turbines to generate electricity. Waves The motion of waves is used to create oscillating motion. Tides incoming tides in river estuaries fill up large water stores behind barrages, which is then released through turbines.) Advantages renewable, predictable, pollution and waste free, large scale. Disadvantages costly to install, environmental impact.* sunniness (Solar panels collect solar heat and are used to heat water. Photovoltaic cells convert light into electricity). Adv antages renewable, pollution and waste free. Disadvantages Not good for places of low sunlight levels, high initial costs, not very serviceable for large-scale use.* Geothermal energy (heat from rocks under the Earths surface can be used to heat water which can, in turn, be used to heat houses). Advantages practically unlimited. Disadvantages not widely available, large initial costs* Hydrogen (extracted from water by electrolysis, many things are capable of running on hydrogen). Advantages no pollution. Disadvantages people are nervous about using such a dangerously explosive gas, difficult to store and transport.If some of these possibilities were researched further, they could replace fossil fuels and help many of the previously discussed issues.