CHEM Fuels and Crude Oil

Fuels and Crude Oil

Importance of Natural Gas and Crude Oil

• Natural gas and crude oil are non-renewable energy sources.
• Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons.
• Fossil fuels, including natural gas, are vital for electricity generation.
• Burning fossil fuels converts chemical energy into thermal energy, which can be converted to other forms of energy.

Natural Gas

• Natural gas is a fossil fuel consisting mainly of methane (CH_4).
• Combustion equation: CH4(g) + 2O2(g) \rightarrow CO2(g) + 2H2O(g)
• Natural gas is transported in liquefied form at -162°C.
• Tetrahydrothiophene (THT) is added to natural gas to detect leaks.

Crude Oil

• Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons extracted from beneath land and ocean floors.
• It needs to be separated into different groups of hydrocarbons before use.
• Natural gas and crude oil are non-renewable energy sources that take millions of years to form and are being depleted rapidly.

Separation of Crude Oil

• Crude oil is separated by fractional distillation due to different boiling points of hydrocarbons.
• Fractional distillation involves boiling and condensation.
• Smaller hydrocarbon molecules with fewer carbon atoms are collected at the top of the fractionating column (lower boiling points).
• Larger hydrocarbon molecules with more carbon atoms are collected at the bottom of the column (higher boiling points).

Biofuels

• Biofuels are renewable alternatives to natural gas and crude oil.
• Ethanol from sugarcane is a biofuel.
• Biofuels are more environmentally sustainable due to carbon dioxide offset during plant growth.
• Combustion equation for ethanol: CH3OH(l) + 3O2(g) \rightarrow 2CO2(g) + 3H2O(g)
• Fossil fuels have a greater environmental impact than biofuels.