Fossil Fuels: A Greener Pasture?

Petroleum and natural gas are formed by the anaerobic decomposition of remains of organisms including phytoplankton and zooplankton that settled to the sea (or lake) bottom in large quantities under anoxic conditions millions of years ago.

Over geological time this organic matter mixed with mud got buried under heavy layers of sediment. The resulting high levels of heat and pressure caused the organic matter to chemically alter first into a waxy material known as kerogen which is found in oil shales and then with more heat into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in a process known as catagenesis.

There is a wide range of organic, or hydrocarbon, compounds in any given fuel mixture. The specific mixture of hydrocarbons gives a fuel its characteristic properties, such as boiling point, melting point, density, viscosity, etc. Some fuels like natural gas, for instance, contain only very low boiling, gaseous components. Others such as gasoline or diesel contain much higher boiling components.

Terrestrial plants on the other hand, tend to form coal and methane. Many of the coal fields date to the carboniferous period of earth’s history. Terrestrial plants also form type lll kerogen - a source of natural gas (source: Wikipedia).

The fossil fuels are then formed by natural resources i.e. dead organisms and anaerobic decomposition. It is believed to be typically exceeds 650 million years of age. The fossil fuels, which contain high percentages of carbon, include coal, petroleum and natural gas.

It was estimated by the Energy Information Administration that in 2007 primary sources of energy consisted of petroleum 36.0%, coal 27.4%, natural gas 23.0%, amounting to an 86.4% share for fossil fuels in primary energy consumption in the world. Non-fossil sources in 2006 included hydroelectric 6.3%, nuclear 8.5%, and others (geothermal, solar, tide, wind, wood, waves) amounting to 0.9 percent. World energy consumption was growing about 2.3% per year (source: Wikipedia).

Because they take millions of years to form, fossil fuels are non-renewable energy. The production and use of fossil fuels through years have raised environmental concerns. Many environmentalist points to use of fossil fuels as the root cause of global warming and harmful to our environment as well. That is why researchers investigated this matter and came up with energy efficiency alternatives. A global movement toward the generation of renewable energy is therefore under way to help meet increased energy needs.

It also was found that almost 90% of green house emissions came from combustion of fossil fuels. Combustion of fossil fuels also produces other air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals. Furthermore, researchers are also investigating the role of fossil fuels in the habitat of species and to our biodiversity.

The burning of fossil fuels produces around 21.3 billion tonnes (21.3 gigatones) of  CO₂ per year, but it is estimated that natural processes can only absorb about half of that amount, so there is a net increase of 10.65 billion tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide per year (one tonne of atmospheric carbon is equivalent to 44/12 or 3.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide). Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases that enhances radiative forcing and contributes to global warming causing the average surface temperature of the Earth to rise in response, which most climate scientists agree will cause major adverse effects (source: Wikipedia).

Since technology before was not that significant, fossil fuels are largely use for petroleum for commercial use. The wide scale use of fossil fuels, coal at first and petroleum later, to fire steam engines during the Industrial Revolution era and at the same time, using natural gas or coal gas for gas lights became rampant. The invention of the internal combustion engines and its use in automobiles and trucks greatly increased the demand for gasoline and diesel oil, both made from fossil fuels. Other forms of transportation, railways and aircraft also required fossil fuels. The other major use for fossil fuels is for generators and as feedstock for the petrochemical industry (source: Wikipedia). Tar - a leftover of petroleum extraction, is used in construction of roads. This being cheaper and available to consumers leads to depletion of our natural resources leading to global warming.

Combustion of fossil fuels generates sulfuric, carbonic, and nitric acids, which fall to Earth as acid rain, impacting both natural areas and the built environment. Monuments and sculptures made from marble and limestone are particularly vulnerable, as the acids dissolve calcium carbonate (source: Wikipedia).

Fossil fuels also contain radioactive materials, mainly uranium and thorium, which are released into the atmosphere. In 2000, about 12,000 tonnes of thorium and 5,000 tonnes of uranium were released worldwide from burning coal. It is estimated that during 1982, US coal burning released 155 times as much radioactivity into the atmosphere as the Three Mile Island incident. However, this radioactivity from coal burning is minuscule at each source and has not shown to have any adverse effect on human physiology (source: Wikipedia **citation needed).

The environmental regulation led to control the use of fossil fuels. Thus, making it not affordable to common consumers and commercial establishments. Also, worldwide, some countries adapt Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allowing coal-based power plants to reduce emissions and targeting up to 70% by year 2018.

This aims to make fossil fuels more expensive, thereby reducing their use and the amount of pollution associated with them, along with raising the funds necessary to counteract these factors.

This also brought in a lot of solar companies and to encourage consumer to use other alternatives than fossil fuels due to its dangerous effect to our environment. The government also allotted a budget in giving out grants and loans to homeowners getting green and energy efficient – perhaps leading to a “greener pasture” for the next generation.