Fossil Fuels The Fuel of the Past

What is Fossil Fuel? any carbon-containing fuel derived from the decomposed remains of prehistoric plants and animals, e.g. coal, peat, petroleum, and natural gas

What is it? coal, oil and natural gas, are a non-renewable source of energy found in deposits beneath the earth

Formation earlier days of Earth, the plants and animals that lived then eventually died and decomposed. majority of these life forms were phytoplankton and zooplankton. When these ancient ocean dwellers died, they accumulated on the bottom of a seabed pressure, heat, and a great deal of time go into the making of fossil fuels.

Formation Geologists are fairly certain that the beds of organic remains mixed with silt and mud to form layers. Over time, mineral sedimentation formed on top of the organisms, effectively entombing them in rock. As this occurred, pressure and temperature increased.

Formation These conditions, and possibly other unknown factors, caused organic material to break down into the simpler form of hydrocarbons: chains of carbon and hydrogen ranging from simple configuration to complex compounds.

Dependency begins.. Although fossil fuels have been around long before humans even discovered fire, our prehistoric ancestors had no use for them. 1940's: Engineers and inventors had government support and extra incentive to develop fossil fuel technologies, war. World War II was the catalyst - World War II had the German Blitzkrieg, or 'Lightning War.' This tactic utilized Shtuka dive bombers and Panzer tanks; German engineers enabled this, and was eventually countered by Allied technological advancements. From then on, usage and development of fossil fuels steadily rose.

How do we get the energy? The primary refining technique used to separate hydrocarbons and provide the ingredients for modern fuels is called fractional distillation. Hydrocarbons of different size and configuration usually have differences in boiling points that are large enough to use as a method of separation.

How do we get the energy? By vaporizing them, they tend to float upwards until the hydrocarbons condense, which is where they are collected. The fuels we commonly use today are a mixture of these hydrocarbons distilled from the petroleum extracted from the earth.

Usage The majority of engines in the world today are internal combustion engines. This type of engine is found in most machines and vehicles that run on fossil fuels. The first internal combustion engine was invented by Nicolaus August Otto.

Usage Fossil fuels are excellent sources of energy for out transportation needs; however they are also the primary source of electrical energy in the world today. Coal power plants account for at least 60% of our national energy and 52% of the world's demand. We, as a world, burn approximately 1.9 billion tons of coal a year to generate electricity.