Fossil fuel it is an energy source substance that is produced from the decomposition process of living beings. Among the most used fossil fuels on the planet are the Petroleum, O mineral coal it's the natural gas.
Fossil fuels are classified as sources of non-renewable energy, as they only arise from the decomposition process of organic waste that lived thousands of years ago. In other words, with their scarcity, it would take hundreds of millions of years for new reserves of fossil fuels to emerge.
See also the meaning of Non-renewable energy.
To be possible the existence of fossil fuels, over millions of years, the organic remains of living beings were being pressured by mud, earth and rock, undergoing chemical changes and giving rise to the most varied types of substances. Natural gas and oil, for example, were formed from the decomposition of microscopic organisms such as algae.
Currently, fossil fuels (which bear this name precisely because of their fossilized origin) are used for the production of electricity, tires and other products, as well as fuels such as gasoline and the diesel.
Due to the intense exploitation of fossil resources, scholars predict the extinction of fuels of this origin, such as oil and natural gas in the next 100 years, while coal is expected to end in at least 200 years old.
Learn more about the meaning of Mineral coal.
Among the main explorers of fossil fuels in the world are the United States, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the Brazil, which has large oil reserves along the Brazilian coast, in a deep ocean zone known as pre-salt.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels
Undoubtedly, fossil fuels have many advantages and contributed a lot to the technological and operational growth of urban life during the Industrial Revolution. However, it is currently inevitable not to be aware of the major disadvantages that fossil fuels bring to the quality of the environment and the health of living beings.
Disadvantages:
- they are very polluting (for this reason they are considered a kind of dirty energy);
- run out quickly;
- they are spatially limited, originating from specific locations on Earth;
- extraction, treatment and transport costs are very high;
- in many cases, there is only profitability when reserves are large;
- cause serious environmental catastrophes.
Benefits:
- have a high energy efficiency;
- are easily transported;
- they can be used in a variety of ways;
- enhance the creation of many jobs.
know more about greenhouse effect and global warming.
Fossil Fuel and Biofuel
the calls biofuels or vegetable fuels, as they are also known, are all those produced from renewable sources, such as biomass.
Biofuel is currently an alternative to traditional fossil fuels, as in addition to being easy to renew, they pollute the environment much less.
See also the meaning of Renewable energy and biomass.