How is fuel used

Fossil fuels formed from the decomposition of plants and animals from millions of years ago this is why they are called fossil fuels. Hundreds of millions of years ago, even before the dinosaurs, there were huge plants and ferns that lived in swamp forests. When these plants and ferns died they decayed and formed layers at the bottom of the swamps.

Water and soil built up on top of these layers and over thousands of years pressure and high temperatures would cause the decayed plants and ferns to undergo chemical and physical changes which pushed out the oxygen from the decaying layers. As the plants and ferns continued to decay in the absence of oxygen they formed coal. Coal formation stage. Source: U. Energy Information Administration.

The oil and gas we use today was formed by the decay of microscopic plants and animals that lived in the ocean millions of years ago. As these plants and animals died they fell to the bottom of the ocean and formed layer after layer of sediment covered by sand and mud.

In some areas where there is little tidal movement such as lakes or seas the plants and animals begin to decay in the absence of oxygen. As the layers build up the weight increases and the sediment is pushed further down, this increases both the temperature and pressure.

With all of these factors combined the decayed plants and animals form oil and gas deposits. In some cases these deposits rise to the surface and seep out into soil and water. In other cases the oil and gas deposits are trapped under impermeable layers of rock and drilling is necessary. Natural gas consists mainly of Methane CH 4 but can also contain other gases such as Butane and Propane.

Oil and gas formation stages. Peat is a very young form of coal, if left for a long period of time peat will eventually form coal. Peat was formed by the decay of plants and in some cases trees. These plants accumulated and decayed over hundreds of thousands of years in waterlogged areas.

Peat formed in areas where there was poor drainage. When the last ice-age ended and ice melted it left behind glacial features such as eskers and moraines. These features are evident in the topography of Ireland, especially the midlands, and lead to poor drainage of the soil. This poor drainage along with continual growth of vegetation, high levels of rainfall and a low levels of oxygen lead to the formation of peatlands..

Fossil fuels are burned to produce energy. In large power stations they are burned in the presence of oxygen. As the fuel burns the heat energy is used to heat water, as it is heated it produces steam which in turn rises and drives a turbine. The energy conversion goes from chemical energy stored in the fuels, to heat energy as it burns which is converted to kinetic energy as it drives large turbines and finally this is converted to electrical energy.

The problem with burning fossil fuels is their effect on the environment. As mentioned fossil fuels are Hydrocarbons. When hydrocarbons are burned in the presence of oxygen they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Because of these problems, scientists and engineers are working hard to find new kinds of fuels and chemicals that do not add CO 2 to the atmosphere, and that can be renewed when supplies run low.

Biofuel is one type of fuel that shows a lot of promise for our energy future, because it is both renewable and environmentally friendly. In other words, biofuel is sustainable. Biofuels are usually produced from plant materials that cannot be eaten by humans, such as corn stalks, grasses, and wood chips. Biomass is another name for the plant materials that are used to make biofuels.

When biomass is harvested and processed, scientists can break down and convert the plant cells into renewable fuels or chemicals. So, instead of waiting a million years for nature to change plants into fossil fuels, scientists are trying to speed up this process by using clever chemistry to make biofuel from plants that are alive today.

Now, wait a second. If burning fossil fuels, which are made from ancient organic matter, pumps CO 2 into the atmosphere … does not burning biofuels create the same problem? Fortunately, the answer is no. Burning biofuel does indeed release CO 2 , but remember that the plants used in biofuel are not ancient — they were living on the earth at the same time as you and me.

And while we, as humans, breathe oxygen to stay alive, plants instead breathe CO 2. This means that because the plants used for biofuel consume CO 2 as they grow, there is no total increase in the amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere when they are burned.

They are only replacing what they have taken. In addition, unlike petroleum, we can always grow new plants for biofuel when we need them.

So, if biofuels are sustainable and environmentally friendly, then they must be the perfect solution to our energy problems, right? Unfortunately, the processes that scientists use to turn biomass into biofuel can be very expensive.

In addition, some biofuel reactions require harsh chemicals that can create their own environmental problems, leaving us right back where we started in terms of sustainability 2. To see how plants are turned into useful fuels and chemicals, we must first understand what they are made of. The walls of plant cells are responsible for almost all of the weight of a plant and are composed of three complex molecules called cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin Figure 1. The first two molecules, cellulose and hemicellulose, are bursting with simple sugar building blocks, all bound together in a compact structure that is supported by the third molecule — lignin Figure 1.

All three complex molecules in plants must be broken apart to access the sugar building blocks within, which can then be converted to biofuel.

One way to accomplish this biomass breakdown is to use a lot of harsh chemicals to break apart the plant tissues. However, these chemicals can be expensive — even toxic 2. Ideally, we would like to make breaking down plants easier, so we do not have to rely as much on these chemicals.

One possible solution is to use a solvent — a liquid with chemical properties that allow it to dissolve other materials … like plants. Most of us use solvents every day, even if we are not aware of it. For example, you use water as a solvent every time you wash your hands or make instant hot chocolate.

Sometimes, only a certain kind of solvent can get the job done. For example, water may dissolve cocoa powder to make hot chocolate, but it would not remove nail polish — for that, you need chemicals called acetone, or ethyl acetate. Unfortunately, until recently, energy researchers could not find a solvent that was a cheap, b sustainable, and c good at breaking down plants.

GVL is such an interesting solvent because it is not only cheap — it is renewable, because it is made from biomass itself. Oil Oil America relies on its domestic supplies as well as imports of petroleum—about one-quarter of the amount we consume—from a handful of nations.

Energy Hands-on Understanding Efficiency Learn the significance of energy efficiency. The Promise of Better Lighting Energy savings through lighting technology. Our Energy System A visualization of all our energy sources. What do you know about energy?

The United States is home to how many of the world's automobiles? Energy Defined Quad A unit of measure used to describe very large quantities of energy, such as the annual energy output of the United States. View our full glossary.