2. WHAT ARE FOSSIL FUELS?
Fossil fuels are natural sources of fuel that formed through geological processes.
They have been used as sources of heat and medicine by early civilizations. They
remain as primary sources of energy until today.
Fossil fuels are deposits of organisms (biomass) that are primarily used for
energy generation. They are formed millions of years ago. They form when the
remains of organisms are buried under layers of sediments immediately after
they perished.
Fossil fuels could form because the remains of the different organisms
experienced only little to partial decomposition. Fully decomposed remains turn
to humus instead.
As these sediments build up, heat and pressure increase prompting changes in
the biomass. Finally, the remains convert to the final form of fossil fuels.
Coal, crude oil, and natural gas are different types of fossil fuels.
3. Coal is a rock-like material made from plant matter that lived in swampy
areas and is widely used as a fuel.
Crude oil is unrefined petroleum extracted from the underground reservoirs.
It can be treated to form other products such as gasoline, plastics, and tar.
Natural gas is a naturally-occurring hydrocarbon gas made up of methane
and other alkanes such as butane and propane. Natural gas can be used as
fuel for cooking and generating electricity. Crude oil and natural gas are from
marine organisms.
4. TYPES AND FORMATION OF COAL
Peat is an accumulation of plant organic materials that only partially
decomposed due to exposure to water and carbon dioxide. It is
recognizable due to the evidence of plant remains and water. Peat is
quite unconventional to use because it needs to be dried out and it
produces large amounts of smoke.
Lignite is formed when increased pressure from sediments transforms
peat. It still has traces of plant remains. It is abundant but used only when
more efficient fuels are unavailable.
Bituminous forms when even more pressure is applied to lignite. No trace
of plant materials can be observed in this stage. It is the most abundant
form of coal and a major source of heat energy.
Anthracite is the last stage of coal formation. It has the hardest
consistency among the stages of coal. This form resulted from extreme
pressure and high temperature on the layers of sediments. Anthracite
burns with a short flame and only produces a little smoke.
