2. What are fossil fuels? Natural resources, such as coal, oil and natural gas, containing hydrocarbons. These fuels are formed in the Earth over millions of years and produce carbon dioxide when burnt.
3. Different types of fossil fuels There are three main types of fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas. All thee of these fossil fuels were formed many, many years ago. Carboniferous Period is the name of the time when these fossil fuels were formed.
4. How is coal being formed? Coal made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and different amount of sulfur. Coal is formed from the remains of vegetation that grew as long as 400 million years ago. It is often referred to as "buried sunshine," because the plants which formed coal captured energy from the sun through photosynthesis to create the compounds that make up plant tissues. The most important element in the plant material is carbon, which gives coal most of its energy.
5. Different stages of coal formation Anthracite: is the hardest one with a lot of carbon which gives more higher energy content. Lignite: softest and low in carbon. In addition, it is high in hydrogen and oxygen. Bituminous: in between of anthracite & lignite.
6. Using coal as Fossil Fuel Now-a-days, we use coal a lot of time. For example, we use coal to produce electricity. Also, sometimes, people use coal to produce cement.
7. How is Oil Formed? Oil was formed from the remains of animals and plants (diatoms) that lived millions of years ago in a marine (water) environment before the dinosaurs. Over millions of years, the remains of these animals and plants were covered by layers of sand and silt. Heat and pressure from these layers helped the remains turn into what we today call crude oil.
8. Using oil as a fossil fuel After oil has been produced, produces about 19 gallons of finished motor gasoline, and 10 gallons of diesel, as well as other petroleum products. Most petroleum products are used to produce energy. For instance, many people across the United States use propane to heat their homes.
9. How is natural gas being formed? Natural gas forms from the remains of ancient microorganisms as well as plant and animal matter that have undergone conditions of extreme heat and pressure over very long periods of time. As such organic matter is buried by increasing amounts of mud and sediment over time, the resulting pressure forces it further underground, compressing the matter and subjecting it to the high temperatures that exist deep within the earth.
10. Using natural gasses as the fossil fuel We use natural gasses to produce things like steel, glass, paper, bricks, clothing. Also, we use natural gasses as the raw material.
11. Refineries Building, or a mass of machinery, used to produce refined products such as sugar, oil, or metals. It is important because it helps to make things like oil more useful to us.
12. Exxon Valdez oil spill On March 24, 1989, the ship that was going to the Long Beach, California, hit Prince William, Alaska. All of this cased the oil spill. All of this, also, caused the death of hundreds of birds, animals, and fishes that lived there.
13. The deep Water Horizon oil catastrophe This happened recently on April 20th, 2010 in the seafloor of golf of Mexico. All of this made a deep explosion of the deepwater horizon. Two aircraft were sent to spray oil dispersant. All of this caused a huge effect in our environment because oil spread really quickly effecting our eco system.