Chapter 3 - Coal and Petroleum -

Chapter 3 – Coal and Petroleum

All the things that we use in our daily life are called resources.
Types of Resources:
- Natural Resources : The resources which are derived from nature and are used without any major changes.
  - Examples: Air, water, soil, minerals, forests, wildlife, sunlight.
- Man-Made Resources: The resources that are created by man using natural resources.
  - Examples: houses, roads, machines, vehicles.

Classification of Natural Resources:

Inexhaustible Natural Resources:
- These exist in unlimited quantities in nature and will not be eliminated by human activities.
- Examples: sunlight, wind.
Exhaustible Natural Resources:
- These occur in limited quantities in nature and can be eliminated by human activities.
- It takes millions of years for these resources to form.
- Examples: Forests, wildlife, minerals, coal, petroleum, natural gas.

Fossil fuels are those endemic natural resources that are formed from the remains of dead organisms (plants and animals) buried inside the earth millions of years ago.
These are the main sources of energy.
Examples: Coal, petroleum, natural gas.

Formation :
- About 300 million (300 million) years ago, the earth had dense forests in low-lying aquatic areas.
- Due to natural processes like floods, earthquakes, etc., these forests got buried under the soil.
- As they were pressed, more layers of clay accumulated on them, causing them to compress.
- Due to high pressure and high temperature, these were slowly converted into coal.
- This slow process of conversion from dead vegetation to coal is called carbonisation.

Uses :

Products of Coal:

Coke: It is almost the pure form of coal. It is hard, porous and black matter. It is used in the manufacture of steel and in the extraction of many metals.
Coal tar: It is a black, thick liquid with an unpleasant odor. It contains about 200 substances. It is used in the manufacture of paints, explosives, plastics, perfumes, roofing materials, etc. It is also used in road construction (earlier, bitumenes are used more nowadays).
Coal Gas: This gas is released when coke is obtained during the processing of coal. It is used as a fuel in industries.

Formation :
- Petroleum is formed from organisms living in the sea.
- When these creatures died, their bodies froze on the ocean floor and were covered with layers of sand and mud.
- Over millions of years, due to the absence of air, high temperatures, and high pressure, dead organisms converted into petroleum and natural gas.

Refining:

Petroleum is a dark, oily liquid with an unpleasant odor. It is also called crude oil.
It contains various components like petrol, diesel, kerosene, paraffin wax, lubricating oil, etc.
The process of separating the different components of petroleum is called refining of petroleum. This is done in petroleum refineries.

Natural gas is found above petroleum reserves.
It is an important fossil fuel because it can be easily transported by pipelines.
It is a clean fuel and is less polluting.
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG):
- CNG is used as a fuel in vehicles (cars, buses).
- It is also used for power generation.
- It is less polluting and is therefore considered a clean fuel.

Coal and petroleum are depleted natural resources. It takes millions of years to form them.
If we continue to use them at the present rate, they will soon disappear.
Their burning also causes air pollution and contributes to global warming.
Therefore, we must use these fuels economically .
The Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) advises people to save petrol/diesel:
- As far as possible, drive slowly and steadily.
- Turn off the engine at a traffic light or where you have to wait.
- Keep the tyre pressure right.
- Ensure regular maintenance of the vehicle.
We should rely more on alternative sources of energy, such as solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, etc.

Chapter 3 – Coal and Petroleum