How Many Forms of Fossil Fuels are There

Introduction

There are mainly three forms of fossil fuels which are coal, petroleum and natural gas. Fossil fuels are composed of compound mixtures made of fossilized plant and animal remnants from millions of years ago. This creation of fossil fuels can be either petroleum, natural gas, or coal. With the help of these fossils, we can determine the type of fossil, the amount of pressure and the amount of heat. Fossil fuels are sources of energy. The energy in fossil fuels is derived from the sun and drives photosynthesis to change CO2 and water into the molecular building blocks of plants and animals. Both plants’ and animals’ bodies are composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms and it is the source of energy in the fossilized hydrocarbon-type compounds that act as fuel when burned. As the fossils begin to get buried deep under the ground it is subjected to increased heat and pressure and the heat rise results in fossil molecules to break apart.

Coal is a type of black or dark brown solid fossil fuel, which is found as coal seams in rock layers formed by the ancient swamp vegetation. Oil and natural gas, both are fossil fuels that are found underground and formed from marine microorganisms.

Coal

Coal is the product formed from fossilized swamps. Coal was formed when plants were buried, heated, and compressed in absence of oxygen over a long period of time. Millions of years ago, swamp-like vegetation covered the majority of the regions. When the vegetation died, it was not decomposed completely due to oxygen-poor conditions. Instead, peat was formed (a brown substance which is high in organic content). The peat which was buried resulted in coal formation after millions of years of high temperature and pressure.

Petroleum

Petroleum is a blend of petroleum gas, paraffin wax, diesel, petrol and lubricating oil etc. It is also referred to as Black Gold because of the wide range of uses it has in a lot of industries. When sea animals and plants died, their remains settled down at the bottom of the sea and the layers of sand and clay compressed them with time. Further, by the action of high temperature and pressure, petroleum was formed. Petroleum is used to power internal combustion engines. It is also used in roofing and road pavements and acts as a water repellent. Petroleum is used to manufacture detergents, fibres, plastics, polyethene and more.

Natural Gas

Natural gas is colourless and odourless and it can be easily transferred through pipelines. We can store it in the form of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) under high pressure. Natural gas is a less polluting and cheaper fossil fuel. Methane is one of the most essential natural gas. Natural gas is used for creating power. It acts as fuel in automobiles, and at home for cooking and it is used as a starting material in chemicals and fertilizers.

Advantages of Fossil Fuel

Fossil fuels have the capability to produce a huge amount of electricity at a single time. Moreover, they are easily found and also cost-effective. And we can easily transport oils and gas through pipelines. With time, they have become safer. Most of the infrastructure depends on fossil fuels for getting operated.

Disadvantages of Fossil Fuel

They release carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, on burning, which is a major source of pollution and plays a significant role in contributing to global warming. When coal and oil are burnt, it releases sulfur dioxide that causes breathing problems and acid rain. And the main problem is that we cannot replace them. When fossil fuels are burnt, they make the environment more acidic. As a result, it affects the environment negatively. Being non-renewable energy resources, eventually, we will run out because of their limited supply. Moreover, their production results in harmful diseases like coal miners suffer from Black Lung Disease and natural gas drillers are exposed to chemicals.

Conclusion

The buried geologic flammable deposits of organic substances such as dead plants and animals which are deposited underground, under many thousand feet of silt are known as fossil fuels. These deposits kept on decaying as time passed by and they turned into natural gas, coal and petroleum. The main reason behind the formation of fossil fuels is the extreme heat and pressure inside the crust of the earth. They are also known as non-renewable sources of energy as it takes a long time for getting replenished. There are 3 major types of fossil fuels, coal, petroleum and natural gas. Coal is a type of hard substance black in colour and composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur. Petroleum is a type of clear and oily liquid which is green or black in colour. And finally natural gas is a type of clean and non-toxic fossil fuel.