Energy Resources

1118 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Oil industry effect on the environment

Petroleum is a mineral that’s made up of mostly hydrogen and carbon. Petroleum can be a gas, liquid, or a solid. (newzeland.gov.nz, 2011) Petroleum came from a Latin word “petra” meaning rock and “oleum” meaning oil. (American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 2013) Petroleum could be as thick and dark as tar. It could also be as thin as water. (THE NEED PROJECT, 2013)
Petroleum is a big source of energy today. Petroleum produces fourty percent of our energy today. (Osakagas, 2013) We use it to produce gas for our vehicles. (THE PETROLEUM ZONE , 2013) Petroleum has a very high level of energy. (Institute for Energy Research, 2013) Burning one gallon of gas produces nineteen pounds of carbon dioxide. (Energy-101.org, 2013) Petroleum is used in makeup. (THE NEED PROJECT, 2013)
Petroleum is found at depths ranging from a couple hundred feet to two or three kilometers. To find a location to mine for petroleum we have look at the ground from the sky and test the ground to see if there is any petroleum in that location. Holes are drilled and pipes are inserted into the ground until they hit rock that hold petroleum. Once petroleum is found and the pressure is released from the rock into the pipes, the petroleum flows out on its own. (Khanna, 2013)
We will eventually run out of petroleum, it will be when we don’t make a profit when mining for it. Geologists are suggesting we will run out of petroleum in the next few decades at the rate we are using it. The amount of petroleum left depends on how hard we want to work for it and how much we want to pay for it. Geologists think that the U.S. will run out of petroleum in 50 years or by the end of this century and the world will shortly after us. (Botkin, 2010)
On average gas is $3.70...

... middle of paper ...

...008)
Drive less frequently. Walk, bike, use public transportation or telecommute if possible. If daily car use is a must, consider buying a hybrid. Consider alternatives to heating oil, such as natural gas, solar panels, EPA-approved wood-burning stoves or geothermal heat pumps, which use the constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature. (findingDulcinea Staff , 2008)

Works Cited

1. Botkin, D. (2010, 3 30). Environmental effects of petroleum. Retrieved from http://www.ftpress.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1573021&seqNum=11
2. National geographic. (2013, 10 25). hydroelectric energy. Retrieved from http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/hydroelectric-energy/?ar_a=1
3. Clean Energy. (2013, 9 25). Hydroelectricity. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/hydro.html

Show More
Related

  • Permian Basin Essay

    491 Words  | 1 Pages

    This area is known as the Permian Basin. Most of the oil is being produced from rocks

    Read More

  • The Keystone Oil Pipeline Project

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    Almost every single nation in our world today, the United States included, is extremely reliant on oil and how much of it we can obtain. Wars have been started between countries vying for control of this valuable natural resource. The United States as a whole has been trying to reduce its reliance on foreign oil and has had some success, especially with the discovery of the Bakken formation and projects like the Keystone Pipeline.

    Read More

  • Climate Change Logos

    1299 Words  | 3 Pages

    These solutions include recycle and reuse, walk or use public transportation turn off your electronics when you are not using them, eat less meat and to

    Read More

  • Analyzing Our Dependence on Fuel Oil

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    As we talked and read about the oil topic in class, I first thought that oil was just the black stuff coming out of the ground. I then thought “how can I write an entire essay on just oil?” However, as we started talking, I realized that oil is really all of nature’s resources and these resources are slowly being destroyed.

    Read More

  • What Are Petroleum Products, And What Is Petroleum Used For?

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    of petroleum to about 32.5 to 33 million barrels of oil per day from 33.4 million, and

    Read More

  • The Environmental Impact of Offshore Drilling Can Be Contolled

    1859 Words  | 4 Pages

    Petroleum seepages, in some form or another have been around since ancient times for boat caulking, road mending, and as medicine, however, the modern petroleum industry was truly born with the first drilled oil well in August 1859 by Edwin L. Drake at Titusville, PA. (Laudon, 347) At first, in the United States, oil production was controlled by small operators but by the late 1870's John D. Rockfeller had purchased most of the nation's refineries-controlling the United States industry. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1911 split Rockfeller's Standard Oil Trust into three smaller companies; today they are known as Mobil, Chevron, and Exxon. (Lynch, 214) Since that time, oil has become a major part of everyone's way of life. Oil is used to provide fuel for automobiles, tractors, trucks, aircraft and ships. Petroleum products are the basic materials used for the manufacture of synthetic fibers for clothing and in plastics, paints, fertilizers, insecticides, soaps, and synthetic rubber etc... (Lynch, 207) Due to this demand, companies are constantly searching for more oil deposits.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Hydrocarbon Recovery

    1956 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hydrocarbon recovery forms the crux of the oil and gas energy. Ever since petroleum was established as a source of energy, the oil and industry has always persevered to improve and optimize conventional recovery techniques in an effort to boost production and profits. Nevertheless, the increased over- dependency on hydrocarbons has exhausted reserved from the most commercially viable wells/plays, which is to say that wells requiring standard exploration and production techniques are now on a decline. However, oil and gas deposits are very much available in many regions as shown in Figure 1.1. Most of them exist as unconventional resources usually treated as possible reserves.

    Read More

  • Supply and Demand of Oil

    1396 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oil is an essential resource in the whole world. People use oil in a variety of ways. The world has used oil for many years and it will still use it as a basic commodity. Oil use can be traced back to 1850s. However, when Edwin Drake produced commercially usable quantities of crude oil from a 69-foot well in Pennsylvania in 1859, he marked a new period that considered oil as a valuable commodity. Oil prices have been inconsistent since 1859. The discoveries of more wells considerably lowered oil prices and made some oil barons abandon the industry. However, oil prices have increased over time because of several factors.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech: Solar Power

    1587 Words  | 4 Pages

    A. Scientists predict that in the next several decades the world will run out of oil. According to the article How Fast is the World Running out of Crude Oil by Umut Newbury accessed from the EBSCO Host database states that

    Read More

  • Inspiring Career of Petroleum Engineering

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    Petroleum engineering is the development and exploitation of crude/oil and natural gas. The foundation was established during the 1890s in California. This career was developed to correlate oil- producing zones and water zones from well to prevent large amounts of water from entering oil- produced zones.

    Read More

  • The Discovery Of Oil During Middle East

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    Despite that the United States is currently the greatest producer of petroleum, supplying approximately 14 million barrels per day, they retain presence in the Middle East as part of their national interest to maintain strategic power over the trade route and influence in the energy-rich region while strengthening their alliances.

    Read More

  • The Environmental Effects of The Oil Industry

    2641 Words  | 6 Pages

    Electricity is one of the chief products of the oil industry. We use oil to heat our homes and businesses. We use oil to produce electricity to light our homes and businesses also.

    Read More

  • Fossil Fuels and Alternative Energy Sources

    2001 Words  | 5 Pages

    Fossil fuels are an important part of life. When you turn on the lights, watch TV, or take a shower, the electricity that you are using is being generated by fossil fuels. The three types of fossil fuels are coal, crude oil, and natural gas. They all take millions of years to form, so they are considered to be “non-renewable”- eventually, the fossil fuels will all be used up. One dangerous biological effect of using fossil fuels is ocean acidification. Extracting and transporting fossil fuels can also be very dangerous. Environmentally damaging accidents such as groundwater contamination, land subsidence, and oil spills occur frequently. Global warming is another possible environmental effect. Fossil fuels have a crucial role in modern society, but since they are non-renewable and dangerous, we should reduce our dependence on them and explore alternative energy sources. Wind energy, hydroelectricity, and solar energy are some examples of renewable fuel sources. There are also many things that people can do everyday to save energy (and, in turn, conserve fossil fuels).

    Read More

  • Alternative Renewable Energy

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the depletion of fossil fuel resources comes speculations and debates about alternative energy sources. The world, including the Philippines, is practically dependent on a dwindling non-renewable source of energy. Today, experts are debating about and considering three options: Nuclear, Solar, or Wind Energy. Everyone has been accustomed to the bad image of nuclear energy as a result of the Chernobyl and Fukushima incidents above all others. The popular belief is that radiation from a nuclear meltdown is very harmful to humans and other living things—which is true—and that nuclear power plants are very dangerous and not ideal—which is not. According to Smith, et. al (n.d), all the nuclear disasters that ever occurred were caused by human error and natural disasters like tsunamis, not one because of system failure. Putting the false beliefs aside, with proper engineering and adequate maintenance by experts, a nuclear power plant is a very ideal and viable source of energy for the following reasons:

    Read More

  • Essay On Oil Refinery

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fossil fuels are used and burned for the engines of ships, cars, airplane and helicopter engines, lawn appliances, saws, and other machineries. Since the less dense liquid products are in heavy demand for engines for combustion, a refinery will use its ability to convert dense hydrocarbons and less dense gaseous components into numerous higher value products. Petroleum refineries produce millions and millions of crude oil. Interestingly, one oil refinery located in Israel is capable of making up to nine millions tons of crude oil just in one year! The cooling towers of this facility extend so high up into the air, making magnificent landmarks!

    Read More

More about Energy Resources

Open Document