7 (f.a.) Fossil Fuels
7 (f.a.)
What comes to your mind when you think of fuel? You might think of gasoline for your car, or maybe food, which is fuel for your body, possibly firewood, which may provide heat for your home. The bottom line is that fuel is an absolutely necessary part of everyone's daily life. And deep within our Earth, there are stores of fuel that our world has become totally dependent on. They are called fossil fuels.
You have undoubtedly heard of fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. These are the three main types of fossil fuels. You rely on fossil fuels every day for such tasks as fueling your car and heating your home. And, it's very likely that the electricity in your home comes from a power plant that uses fossil fuels. But did you know that these fuels were once plant and animal life? That's right; fossil fuels are actually the accumulated remains of living organisms that were buried millions of years ago. In fact, it may help you to recall this term by remembering that a 'fossil' is a naturally preserved remnant of a living thing from long ago.
As we mentioned, the story of fossil fuels began millions of years ago, even before the dinosaurs first appeared on Earth. At that time, there were tiny plants and animals living in the oceans of the world. As these plants and animals died, they would sink down and settle on the ocean floor. This organic matter was eventually covered by layers of sand, rock and mud that later turned into * rock.
As these layers of rock grew thicker and thicker, the organic matter ended up being placed under a great amount of pressure. Over the millions of years that passed, this high pressure transformed the partially decomposed plant and animal matter into the major energy source that we know as oil and natural gas.
Coal is formed through the same type of process. However, coal originates mainly from dead tree and plant matter. Millions of years ago, leafy plants and trees died and sank into swamps and bogs that covered much of the Earth. This created a soupy plant-filled stew called peat. The peat became buried under layers of sediment, and water was squeezed out. Over the course of millions of years, compounds within the peat were subjected to heat and pressure, transforming them into the carbon-rich substance we know as coal.
Fossil fuels are a great source of energy because they originate from living things. We know that plants and trees use sunlight to make food from carbon dioxide and water, using the process called photosynthesis. This is an easy term to recall when you remember that the prefix 'photo' is Greek for light, and the suffix 'synthesis' means to make, so photosynthesis is using the energy of sunlight to make food. This energy from the sun gets stored in the plants and transferred to any animal that eats the plants.
Now keep in mind, the dead plant and animal matter that made up these fossil fuels didn't have much time to decay. They sank into the water and were buried with much of their substance intact. This allowed the energy within them to remain as they were transformed.
Fossil fuels provide a large amount of concentrated energy. Their abundance allows power plants to be fueled by them, creating a great deal of electricity for the world.
One of the main disadvantages of fossil fuels is the fact when they are burned they produce carbon dioxide. All fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources. Being a nonrenewable recourse means that once the fuel is burned it cannot be replaced during our lifetime due to the fact that they take millions of years to form.
What comes to your mind when you think of fuel? You might think of gasoline for your car, or maybe food, which is fuel for your body, possibly firewood, which may provide heat for your home. The bottom line is that fuel is an absolutely necessary part of everyone's daily life. And deep within our Earth, there are stores of fuel that our world has become totally dependent on. They are called fossil fuels.
You have undoubtedly heard of fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. These are the three main types of fossil fuels. You rely on fossil fuels every day for such tasks as fueling your car and heating your home. And, it's very likely that the electricity in your home comes from a power plant that uses fossil fuels. But did you know that these fuels were once plant and animal life? That's right; fossil fuels are actually the accumulated remains of living organisms that were buried millions of years ago. In fact, it may help you to recall this term by remembering that a 'fossil' is a naturally preserved remnant of a living thing from long ago.
As we mentioned, the story of fossil fuels began millions of years ago, even before the dinosaurs first appeared on Earth. At that time, there were tiny plants and animals living in the oceans of the world. As these plants and animals died, they would sink down and settle on the ocean floor. This organic matter was eventually covered by layers of sand, rock and mud that later turned into * rock.
As these layers of rock grew thicker and thicker, the organic matter ended up being placed under a great amount of pressure. Over the millions of years that passed, this high pressure transformed the partially decomposed plant and animal matter into the major energy source that we know as oil and natural gas.
Coal is formed through the same type of process. However, coal originates mainly from dead tree and plant matter. Millions of years ago, leafy plants and trees died and sank into swamps and bogs that covered much of the Earth. This created a soupy plant-filled stew called peat. The peat became buried under layers of sediment, and water was squeezed out. Over the course of millions of years, compounds within the peat were subjected to heat and pressure, transforming them into the carbon-rich substance we know as coal.
Fossil fuels are a great source of energy because they originate from living things. We know that plants and trees use sunlight to make food from carbon dioxide and water, using the process called photosynthesis. This is an easy term to recall when you remember that the prefix 'photo' is Greek for light, and the suffix 'synthesis' means to make, so photosynthesis is using the energy of sunlight to make food. This energy from the sun gets stored in the plants and transferred to any animal that eats the plants.
Now keep in mind, the dead plant and animal matter that made up these fossil fuels didn't have much time to decay. They sank into the water and were buried with much of their substance intact. This allowed the energy within them to remain as they were transformed.
Fossil fuels provide a large amount of concentrated energy. Their abundance allows power plants to be fueled by them, creating a great deal of electricity for the world.
One of the main disadvantages of fossil fuels is the fact when they are burned they produce carbon dioxide. All fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources. Being a nonrenewable recourse means that once the fuel is burned it cannot be replaced during our lifetime due to the fact that they take millions of years to form.
