Fossil fuels Essay Example for Free

Fossil fuels Essay Fossil fuels belong to non-renewable sources of energy that are accountable for giving the energy required around the world for many families and industrial facilities like electrical generators and others. Deposits of these kinds are generally found deep within the earth surface which is often needed to be mined. Fossil fuels are also rich in carbon remains of prehistoric civilization and other creature that have lasted in severe heat and pressure deep within the earth over millions of years. Researchers said that there are three types of fossil fuels which can be utilized for energy consumption such as natural gas, oil and coal. Natural gas is a gas that consisted primarily of methane (CH4) substance. It is in the form of gaseous fossil fuels that are very flexible, plentiful and comparatively clean compared to oil and coal. It is also created and formed from the remains of marine microorganisms such as plankton and other type of small water creatures like algae. However, compared to the other types of fossil fuel, it is relatively a new kind of energy supply. In 1999 more coals are used than natural gas since people were scared that like oil, the supplies of natural gas will run out. For example, developed countries like United States, Japan and others have overtaken the consumption of coal than natural gas (Miller 1999). Moreover, some researchers forecasted that the supply of natural gas will run out by the end of 21st century. Since it is primarily consists of methane, the gas is highly compacted in a small volumes at huge depths of the earth. In terms of getting this kind of fossil fuel, it needs to be conveyed to the surface by drilling. Moreover, in terms of supply, it reserves are can be seen around the globe since it were evenly distributed unlike oil. On the other hand, oil is a liquid type of fossil fuel that is created and formed from the remains of marine organisms just like natural gas. The process is so complex that after millions of generations, the deposits will end up in a sediment and rock where oil is ensnared in small holes. Just like the natural gas, it needs to be conveyed by drilling in able to get the residue (commonly called as crude oil). Today, this kind of fossil fuel is widely used type of non-renewable sources of energy (Miller 1999). Crude oil contains various types of organic components which are brought to refining establishment to further transform the product in a more refined residue. Many types of industries including cars, jets, electricity, roads and many others utilize this kind of fossil fuel. However, oil is a kind of non-renewable sources of energy which cannot be found everywhere on earth. Thus, various events like wars resulted in shortage of search of kind of fossil fuel just like what happened in the Gulf War in 1991. Lastly, coal is a solid kind of fossil fuel that was created and formed over millions of generations by decomposes remains of land vegetation. This is formed when layers are compressed and heated over time. The results are natural deposits that are eventually turned into coal. In comparison with the two types of fossil fuel, coal is more abundant in supplies. However, some researchers forecasted that the use of coal around the world will heighten as oil supplies become inadequate. They predicted that current supplies of the coal in the world will last for at least 200 years or more. In the recent study conducted by various researchers, they found out that the use of coal was doubled in the middle of 20th century. However, at the start of 1996, there is a decline in the use of coal (McKinney and Schoch 2003). Many developing countries were the primary consumer of this kind of non-renewable sources of energy since they cannot afford the high price of natural gas and oil. Traditionally, these three kinds of fossil fuels were in abundant supply that was simple to have and transport. But now, signals are showing that these supplies are beginning to be depleted. It is a fact that it needs millions of years before these fuels will be replenished. Then one may ask, â€Å"Why are we still using fossil fuel in huge amount? † Thus, the answer is very simple and easy to explain. Fossil fuels are cheaper than any kind of reasonable alternative energy that human known. Compare to renewable energy like wave, wind and solar energy, they need large amount of money in able to obtain them. However, many scientists have already forecasted that fossil fuel will increase in price because of scarcity. Therefore this may lead to an eventual transfer from non-renewable to renewable sources of energy in the coming years. BIBLIOGRAPHY McKinney, M. L. and Schoch, R. M. (2003), Environmental Science, Systems and Solutions. 3rd ed. University of Tennessee, Knoxville USA. Miller, G. T. (1999). Living in the Environment: Principles, connections and solutions. 4th ed. Cole Publishing Company, Pacific Grove, USA.