Fossil fuels are non – renewable as they take millions of years to get renewed. They are formed from the prehistoric remains of plants and animals.
The three forms of fossil fuels are natural gas, coal and oil/ petroleum. The most widely used fossil fuel is petroleum. This word is derived from a Latin word where “petro” means rock and “leum” means oil. Around 40% of electricity generated worldwide is through coal and it is abundant resource. Natural gas is mostly majorly used in industrial sector as it more efficient and convenient source of energy.
Uses of fossil fuels
Three types of fossil fuels exist in three different forms. Oil being in liquid form. Coal being in solid form and natural gas being in gaseous form. Below are the fossil fuels uses in different fields:
- Uses of Oil
- Uses of coal
- Uses of natural gas
Uses of oil:
Crude oil or petroleum is also called “black gold”. There are various uses of petroleum. It is used in the generation of electricity, used in transportation as fuel for automobiles and jets. The by-product of oil is used to produce chemicals, plastics, lubricants, tars, waxes, medicines etc. Also, many fertilisers, as well as pesticides, are made from either oil or its by-product.
Uses of coal:
Coal is a solid-state fossil fuel. It consists of five elements. They are sulphur, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon and oxygen. Three different types of coal with different energy properties are anthracite, bituminous and lignite. Anthracite is hard with more carbon than the other two and has the highest energy. Coal could exist for 200 years more. It is mostly extracted from the mines. Coal use has almost doubled since the 20th century. Many countries cannot afford natural gas or oil as they are expensive, and so they depend on coal for energy. It is used in the generation of electricity. Also, used in electrical utilities, and products like dyes, aspirins, soap, fibres, plastics and solvents have coal or coal by-product. It is used in the steel industry, pharmaceutical industry, cement manufacture, manufacturing of paper etc.
Uses of natural gas:
It is a gaseous fuel and primarily consists of methane. It is much cleaner than oil and coal. It is used in air conditioning, cooking appliances like fuel stoves and heat homes and establishments, heating water etc. It also provides electricity and is used in industries like steel foundries, glass foundries, other manufacturing, and aluminium smelters. It also produces paints, fertilisers, plastics and dyes. It is also used in transportation as CNG or LNG. These were some fossil fuels and their uses.
This was brief on the uses of fossil fuels in our daily life. To know more about the fossil fuels advantages download the BYJU’S – the learning app.
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