Information on How Fossil Fuels are Made

Fossil fuels are a source of non-renewable energy, as their formation usually take millions of years. As the name suggests, they are formed from the decomposed organic material under the effect of high pressure and temperature below the Earth' surface. They were discovered by mankind thousands of years ago, though its use increased during the industrial revolution of the 19th century. They become the main source of energy to fuel the growth and development of modern industries. However, the reserves of these resources are being depleted at such a rapid rate that it has raised many questions, from an imminent energy crisis to increasing environmental pollution. In recent times, scientists are constantly in search of alternative fuel sources to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, like coal and oil.

Formation of Fossil Fuels

The theory of formation of fossil from fossilized organic remains was put forward by a Russian scientist, Mikhail Lomonosov, in the year 1757. According to this theory, they were formed millions of years ago from the dead and decayed plants and animals under effects of high pressure and temperature. The formation of a major part of fossil fuels can be traced back to the carboniferous age, about 360 to 286 million years ago. The period was characterized by large areas of swamps filled with huge trees, ferns and algae. The dead plants used to sink and get deposited on the bottom of the swamps and seabed. In the course of time, they got mixed with clay, mud and silt and formed layers of peat.

Then began the accumulation of sediments or sedimentation over the layers of peat. Sedimentation eventually resulted in the formation of sedimentary rocks. Formation of rocks over the layers of peat increased pressure over them. As more and more rocky layers were formed, the peat layers got squeezed under the increased pressure. This high amount of pressure and temperature were responsible for breaking down the organic material into simpler molecules of hydrocarbons and carbons, resulting in the formation of fossil.

Coal is formed from decomposed terrestrial plants after going through the same process as explained above. The process of coal formation is known as coalification and it requires comparatively less time. The process of coal formation starts with the development of the peat layers. Peat in turn becomes lignite over a period of time, and then transforms into bituminous. On the other hand, oil was presumably formed from the dead and decomposed diatoms about 300 million years ago. These diatoms can convert sunlight into energy, just like plants. The dead diatoms were deposited on the sea bed, and then under the pressure of sediments and rocks, converted into oil.

Fossil Fuel Facts

• Though they have largely captured the attention of mankind during the industrial revolution, they have been in use much before that. Coal was first used in China around 1000 BC, while oil was used by ancient Sumerians and Babylonians almost 5000 - 6000 years ago.
• The main components of coal are carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, though the composition can vary among different types of coal. There are mainly three types of coal, known as anthracite, bituminous and lignite. Out of them, anthracite is the hardest, while lignite is the softest.
• Though oil is found all over the world, almost 63% of the natural oil sources are concentrated in the Middle East Countries. Oil is found between the layers of rock and is extracted by a drilling process. Oil is used to produce a number of petrochemical products including gasoline, petroleum, plastic, fabrics, kerosene and diesel by the method of distillation.
• Natural gas is primarily composed of methane gas, and small amounts of butane, propane, ethane and pentane. Natural gas is thinner than air and is a highly inflammable and odorless gas.
• Natural gas is mainly used in the form of liquefied petroleum gas for cooking. The smell of rotten eggs is added to natural gas in order to detect any leakage, as it is highly inflammable.
• The burning of fossil fuels is estimated to be responsible for releasing 21.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, which is an important greenhouse gas. This is a significant factor contributing to the phenomenon of global warming.

Today, a lot of researches and studies are directed towards reducing over dependence on fossil fuels by developing and using other sources of renewable energy like solar energy, biomass, wind energy and hydropower. Understanding this process have greatly helped mankind in realizing that fossil fuels are being used much faster than they can be generated. Apart from this, environmental issues have also been taken quite seriously by many countries, which further highlights the importance of non-polluting clean renewable energy sources.