CHAPTER

5
Coal and Petroleum
n our
everyday life, we use a large number of materials for our basic needs. Some of these materials are
found in nature whereas others are man-made.
Air, water, soil, sunlight, coal, petroleum, natural gas
and minerals are obtained from nature, so
they
are called natural resources. On the other hand, plastics,
synthetic fibres, paints, drugs, explosives, etc., are all man-made materials.
Inexhaustible and Exhaustible Natural Resources
Anything in the environment 'which can be used' is called a 'resource'. All the natural resources can be
classified into two main groups
i) Inexhaustible natural resources, and
ii) Exhaustible natural resources.
The term 'inexhaustible' means something 'which cannot be used up completely'. Those natural
resources which are present in unlimited quantity in nature and are not likely to be exhausted by
human activities are called inexhaustible natural resources. The examples of inexhaustible natural
resources are: Sunlight, Air and Water. There is a never ending supply of inexhaustible resources in nature.
The inexhaustible resources can be used again and again. They last forever.
The term 'exhaustible' means 'something which can be used up completely' (so that nothing is left
ehind). Those resources which are present in a limited quantity in nature and can be exhausted by
uman activities, are called exhaustible natural resources. The examples of exhaustible natural resources
re: Coal, Petroleum, Natural gas, Minerals, Forests and Wildlife, etc. Theexhaustiblenatural resources do
ot last forever.
In this Chapter we will study some exhaustible sources of energy like coal, petroleum and natural gas.
oal, petroleum and natural gas are also called non-renewable sources of energy. This is because when
! the coal, petroleum and natural gas present under the earth will get used up (or exhausted), no more
we should know the
pply of these fuels will be available in the near future. Before we go further, buried under the
eaning of the term 'fossil'. Fossils are the remains of the pre-historic plants or animals,
rth millions of years ago.
81
 82

FOSSIL FUELS rd under the earth

The
natural tuels
ganisas buried

Oal, jclroleunm
long
ago, are called fussil tormed trom the rema a t r a l gas lossil
tuur'ls. C
the r e m i n s of

as are
fuels.
callad tussil tuels Cal leum and

tormd b t
deom
siliuni v
ane

tucls
haustible a
enha are
pre l
plants and animais beause WeRwe ar
thev ago.
lossil
mg
rsunes brause (tossils) burind under the ca
a r t h lmg. toreT*r,

one all the will b gone

usend up. tlher
tossil tuels an us
How Fossil Fuels
le's
t
were Formed and anim (plants nimals) |
tossil tuels were
tormed from the dead living
renains of
organisms
arnd animals wh
under the earth follows: The plants
millions of years ag This hapned as covered with sediments
millions of vears dgo. got ike n
ago, weregraually buried deep in the carth andchemical cttects f heat, press
away trom the reuch ot ot air, the
absence of
bacteria, converted n ot air. In
n the absence at, it i l fuels like coal, petroleuum w
the buriad remains ot plants at
narural gas. Please note that the buried remaius of were convertedinto coal whereas th bu
Large land plants
ot tiny nmarine plants and animals were converted into ptroleum and natural gas. O

COAL
Coal is a
hard, black combustible mineral that consists o
carbon (see mainy
Figure Coal is found in dep coal mines under the surtace ot
1).
the earth. In India, coal is found mainly in Bihar, West
Bengal, Orissa ana
Madhya Pradesh. Coal is found in abundance in our
country and it 1s
most u
important source of energy in our country.
How Coal was Formed
Coal was formed by the decomposition of large land plants and trees
buried under the earth about 300 million
years ago. This happened as
follows: About 300 million years
ago, the earth had dense forests in low-
lying wet land areas. Due to natural processes like earthquakes, volcanoes
and floods, etc., these forests were buried under the Figure 1. Coal.
surface of earth. As
more soil deposited over them, they were
compressed. The temperature also rose as they sank deeper and
deeper. Due to high pressure and high temperature inside the earth, and in the absence of air, the wood o
buried forest plants and trees was slowly converted into coal. The
slow process by which the dead
buried deep under the earth have become coal is called
carbonisation. plants
remains of plants, therefore, coal is called a fossil fuel. Since coal was formed from the

Coal is a Source of Energy

Coal is mainly carbon. When heated in air, coal burns arnd
of heat energy is also produced produces mainly carbon dioxide
during the burning ot coal.
Thiscan be writtena gas. Alo
as
Carbon Oxygen Carbon dioxide
(Coal) (From air) Heat
Coal is important because it can be used as a
converted into other forms of energy such asSource
heat or
can be energy
coal gas, coke
as such (just by burning it), or
or
of coal is the solar energy (or sun' s electricity. The real source of enerf
energy). This is because the plants and
coal grew on the earth by absorbing sunlignt energy during the trees which
process of decomposed to to
Uses of Coal photosynthesis.
(i) Coal is used as a industry.
fuel in homes and
(i Coal is used as a fuel at Thermal Power Plants for gener
ing electricity.
(iit) Coal is used to make coal gas which is an important ndustrial fuel.
 PbO tcambon Pbt CD
COAL AND PETROLEUM 83

(io) Coal is used to make coke.

(v) Earlier, coal was used as a fuel to make 'steam' to run steam engines of trains.
(vi) Coal was also used as a source of organic chemicals.
Products of Coal
When coal is heated strongly in closed retorts in the absence of air, a number of useful products are
obtained. The various useful products obtained by processing the coal by heating in the absence of air are
(1) Coal gas,
(i) Coal tar, and
(ii) Coke.
Coal gas, coal tar and coke are called
products of coal. Please note that these products are obtained
when coal is heated in the absence of air. This is because if coal is heated in the
burns to produce mainly carbon dioxide gas and no other useful presence of air, then coal
of coal in the absence of air is called destructive distillation ofproducts
are obtained. The strong heating
coal. We will now describe the various
products of coal in somewhat detail.
Coal Gas
Coal gas is a gaseous fuel which is obtained by the strong heating of coal in the absence of air
during the processing of coal to get coke. Coal gas is mainly a mixture of methane and hydrogen, with
some carbon monoxide. All the
gases present in coal gas can burn to produce heat, due to which coal gas
is an excellent fuel (having high calorific value). Coal gas is used as a fuel in industries (which are situated
near the coal processing plants). When coal gas burns, it also produces a good amount of light. So, in the
past, coal gas has also been used for lighting purposes (or illumination purposes). Coal gas was used for
street lighting for the first time in London in the year 1810. It was used for street lighting in New York
around 1820. These days, however, coal gas is used as a source of heat rather than light.
Coal Tar
Coal tar is a thick,black liquid having an unpleasant smell which js
obtained by heating coal in the absence of air (see Figure 2). Coal tar is
not a single compound. Coal tar is a mixture of about 200 carbon
compounds (or organic compounds). The useful carbon compounds (or
organic compounds) present in coal tarinclude benzene, toluene,
naphthalene, anthracene, phenol and aniline. Thus, the naphthalene balls
used to repel moths and other insects (in stored clothes, etc.) are obtained
from coal tar. The various compounds present in coal tar are separated by
the process of fractional distillation. The compounds (or products)
obtained from coal tar are used as starting materials for manufacturing a
large number of substances used in everyday life and industry. For Figure 2. Coal tar.
example, the products of coal tar are used to make synthetic fibres,
drugs (medicines), plastics, synthetic dyes, perfumes, paints, varmishes,
pesticides, photographic materials, roofing materials and explosives,
etc. Coal tar has been traditionally used for metalling the roads. These
days, however, bitumen (a petroleum product) is being used increasingly
for metalling the road surfaces (in place of coal tar).

Coke
Coke is a tough and porous black solid substance (see Figure 3).

Coke is prepared by heating coal in the absence of air. When coal is

and
heated in the absence of air, then coal gas and coal tar are eliminated,
volatile constituents
oke is left behind as a black residue. Thus, coal minus98 Figure 3. Coke.
s coke. Coke is an almost pure form of
carbon. It is per cent carbon.
 PESROLEC
nETa= i.ts

peesenE a ah2s been reänei s u e

The o
wels are drle asE ng A

A E ess

weil Some wells dug ina he r e i h r peTes a i s s e e welbs ieli ony na

land Laner en, a
as but no o Earw drilng at al wes ior ge petrodeun wzs dane anl
e d r i q s Ths some ef the e wels a near d
were ais ired mder ie ei w

er he sea for the extractire af petoieun.

 COAL AND PETROLEUM 85
The world's first oil well was drilled in Pennsvlvania (USA) in 1859. Eight years later in l86/, 01 Was
struck at Makum in Assam. In India, petroleum
(oil) is found in Assam, Gujarat, Mumbai High
area), and near the basins of Godavari and Krishna rivers. The off-shore oil bearing area called(off-snore
Mumbai
High is located in high seas at a distance of about 150 kilometres west of Mumbai city. The oil deposits or
Mumbai High are buried at a depth of about 1000 metres below the sea-bed. A
been erected in the Mumbai special platform of steel nas
High sea to pump out from under the sea-bed.
petroleum
Refining of Petroleum
The crude petroleum oil is a complex
mixture of solid, liquid
and gaseous hydrocarbons.
It is not
very useful to us as such. So,
before petroleum can be used for
refined (or purified). The process of
specific purposes, it has to be
into more useful fractions is called
separating crude petroleum oil
refining. The
petroleum (or separation of petroleum) into different refining
fractions is
of

based on the fact that the different fractions of

different boiling point ranges. The refining of petroleum have
out in an oil refinery (see
petroleum is carried
Figure 6). The crude petroleumoil
extracted from oil wells is taken to the 'oil
refinery' through pipes.
In the oil refinery, crude
petroleum oil is refined (or separated) into
different useful fractions. The separation of
different fractions is done by the
petroleum into
process of 'fractional
distillation'. Fractional distillation is a process in fractions of
which
petroleum having different boiling point ranges are collected
separately. The various useful fractions obtained by the refining of
petroleum are Petroleum gas, Petrol, Kerosene, Diesel,
Lubricating oil, Paraffin wax and Bitumen. Figure 6. An oil refinery.

The Various Fractions of Petroleum and Their Uses

The refining of petroleum gives the fractions (or products) such as petroleum gas, petrol, kerosene,
esel, lubricating oil, paraffin wax and bitumen. The important uses of the various fractions of petroleum
are given below.
) PETROLEUM GAS. Petroleum gas is used as a fuel in homes and industry. Petroleum gas is used
as a fuel as suchin the form of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
or

(i) PETROL. Petrol is used as a fuel in light motor vehicles (such as cars, motorcycles, and scooters,
etc.). Petrol is also used as a solvent for drycleaning.
(iii) KEROSENE. Kerosene is used as a fuel in wick
stoves and pressure stoves to cook food. Kerosene is also
used in lanterns for lighting purposes (see Figure 7). A
special grade of kerosene oil is used as aviation fuel in jet
aeroplanes.
(iv) DIESEL. Diesel is used as a fuel in heavy motor
vehicles (such as buses, trucks, tractors, and diesel train
engines). Diesel is also used to run pump sets for irrigation
in agriculture and in electric generators (to produce
electricity on a small scale).
(D)LUBRICATING OIL. Lubricating oil is used for
Figure 7. Kerosene is used as a fuel in lanterns.
lubrication in machines and engines (like car engines).
 candies
vaniare
intments
wpepe
toe making
fre) PARA9N HAX Pataffin was is used

koe irg the n

water pras
lt n aln used
rai)B7 MEN Bitumeth ts und for a dnurfacing

rusisdongsBtuitth sased an makng black past and dieet ar alsce as

konmee
Peeur thr that the turls suxh prtrol
a petroleum gas

Bexvhr atr aithnd ftoh a tmaiot petroleum

foseil fari (aled
w t sommon furl used in homes ss laquetied pefrolieum g*
The petroleum gaswhich has been liquefied under pressure
alied lquefied petroleum gas The lhqurfed petroleumga*
Roaststmamhy of brstane (CHwhaxh has hoen iquetest
gph prraure Thus, the domest fas inders like Indane
mtam aimi butanr (se gure Th gas used tr domesta

94ngutfandyutmueum gas he cun it ctarmná trom petroiram gnd if a

a u d g ms1om hetemm fillimg mte the sa: yináers When we hurn

t e kut of the gas o inder the preseute is ricased. duc to whach
the hgly volatike 1G n comverted into gas Thas gas gos into the
egeret ok IK. stne Mhem 2 laghicd matchutack apriied to the
h r r he g.as butTs usth a bilue flame produang a lot of hea Thss
hwraf is uaed for cox* arg fracad 1iquefied petroleum gas (1P.) is a good igure &. Therse ga* ylinders cona

beA of its
follou ing adv antages PG

at,thas a hugh caionfc alue Duc to thus, a

fgen amosant ot LPM.produces a lot of heat
, buamas m ith a sthokeies flathe and hetcr dors rot c a u c ait
LI. does nof
pollufio.
produe a proinct Cus gasco oh Patr
(e 2 shaes racn ieane hehind
ati solacd teaduc ot
uftung

NATURAL GAS
afural gasconsists mainly of methane mith small
quantitics of ethane and propane tn tact, natural
gat codane atout
e u t t c ertt
methatie t c
iuftg theit g tetraif
cthatie atd
ptupafic Natural gas oxcurs deep under
cvt ct alrc ct l
alotEWitf
atwhr f r
petrlerut deykinits Ihus o e weils dug into the
e a t peduae d h tiafutal
gar wtucteas otlhets fndur iafufal ga3 weil as
u t d e y thuc carth by te petfoleum oil Natural gas is a3

dexomreufacaf of rgetatc tiattet y isg undet watet Thus deconposition

s
ed nut ty aarton tia etia ir the alisctr uf aif Just libe 0al atul
petrolesim, fiatural gas
as is alw a
i r a uet atf
tesactr ee of ratutal gar ldia
tatut al 6a has Berti fiund in
Tripura, Raiasthan
Matar btia att
reahura (acndan afi delts Whrh nafutalgas is
comptes»ed by
alled (ompvesned Natutal Las twhich is wtilten in ahort form as
applying pressure. it is
CNG n fat natural gas is sed
ored
under ag gmrusite ctstrsaend riatuta. f* o t
bes vetics casict to stotr trarisgort and u
ratstsgar i tor tam od
hatiat al ga aind cieai fuici
a
tex ausr t burmis withost prrxduine
&ny
Advantages of Using uatural CGns ior Compreosed Naturs Gas CNG)
atural gas io C agd fuel tw aue turma easily and prducs a kot ot heat More
Fatural gas burs wth a ttckriws i a t arad2us er,
r a pxilutke It aiao dows rot produce an
o u u s saws w butrung atutal gas dos ne iear behund amy swiliad renidur on burnung Natural. ny
al gas

atutal gar tor (N a cotgiete tari un iteit arvd can be ued duretiy for heating purposes in

tuo atd ndustrs hete > t heed

to add a y thurg eise
to it
 COALAND PETROLEUM 87
5. A great advantage of natural gas is that it can be supplied to homes and factories through a
of
underground pipes and this eliminates the need for additional network
and of
pipelines for the supply of natural gas exists in Vadodara (in Gujarat), transport.
storagein some parts ofSuch
a
Delhinet
and a few
other places.
Uses of Natural Gas (or CNG)
1. Natural gas
is used as a domestic and industrial fuel.
2. Natural gas is used as a fuel in Thermal Power Stations for
3.
Compressed natural
generating electricity.
gas (CNG) is being used
increasingly as a fuel in transport vehicles (like cars, buses, etc.)
in place of petrol and diesel. CNG is a good alternative to
and diesel in vehicles because it is petrol
cleaner fuel and does not
a
cause much air pollution. In fact, CNG is
vehicles these days to reduce air being used in many
is used in vehicles is filled in
pollution in cities. CNG which
cylinders. These
refilled at CNG Filling Stations (see Figure 9). cylinders
can be

4. Natural gas is used as a source of

to manufacture fertilisers. When natural
hydrogen gas needed
gas is heated
strongly,
the methane present in it
decomposes to form carbon and 7117

hydrogen. This hydrogen is then used to manufacture

fertilisers. Figure 9. CNG being filled in a car at a
5. Natural gas is used as a Filling Station.
starting material for the
manufacture of a number of chemicals (which are called
petrochemicals).
PETROCHEMICALS
Many useful chemicals (or substances) are obtained from petroleum and natural gas. Those chemicals
which are obtained from petroleum and natural gas are called petrochemicals. Some examples of
petrochemicals are : methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, formaldehyde, acetone, acetic acid, ethylene, benzene,
toluene, vinyl chloride and hydrogen. Petrochemicals are very important because they are used to
manufacture a wide range of useful materials such as : Detergents, Synthetic fibres (like Polyester, Nylon,
Acrylic, etc.), Plastics (such as Polythene, Polyvinyl chloride, Bakelite, etc.), Synthetic rubber, Drugs, Dyes,
Perfumes, Fertilisers, Insecticides and Explosives, etc. Hydrogen gas is obtained as a petrochemical from
natural gas. Hydrogen gas obtained from natural gas is used in the manufacture of fertilisers (such as
ammonium nitrate and urea). Thus, petroleum is not only a source of fuels but also provides raw materials
(in the form of petrochemicals) to manufacture a large number of useful substances. Due to its great
commercial importance, petroleum is also called "black gold".

Energy Resources of Earth are Limited

Most of the energy that we use today comes mainly from the three exhaustible resources of the earth
coal, petroleum and natural gas The amount of coal, petroleum and natural gas present in the earth is
limited. The known reserves of coal, petroleum and natural gas will last only for about 100 years. Once the
present stock of coal, petroleum and natural gas present in the earth gets exhausted, no new supplies of
these fossil fuels will be available to us in the near future (because it takes millions of years to convert the
dead organisms into fossil fuels in nature). So, fosil fuels should be used with care and caution, and not
wasted at all so that the existing reserves of fosil fuels can be used over as long a period as possible.
major source of air pollution. The of fossil fuels is also
Moreover, the burning of fossil fuels is a use
linked to global warming (because they produce a lot of greenhouse gas 'carbon dioxide' on burning). So,
the use of lesser fossil fuels will lead to cleaner environment and smaller risk of global warming. From the
because
above discussion we conclude that we should use fossil fuels only when absolutely necessary
 88
AWARENESS SCIENCE FOR EIGHTH CLASS
i t will ensure the availability of fossil fuels for a longer period of time
(7) it will reduce air
pollution and lead to a cleaner environment
(ii) it
will reduce the risk of
Please note that the fossil global warming
fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas cannot be prepared in
laboratory from dead
organisms De prepared in
(dead plants and animals). the formation of fossil
fossil fuel
This because
fues
a
very, very slow process and
the
is
How to Save conditions fortheir
their formation
formation cannot
cannot be
De created in the laborat
Petrol and
Petrol and diesel are Diesel
ratory.
effort to avoid the the two main fuels which
are used for driving vehicles. We should
wastage
Association (PCRA) advises of these ake eeven,
make
precious fuels. In India, the Petroleum Conservation Resea
ips tor
minimising the wastagepeople
on how to save
of petrol and diesel petrol
while driving vehicles. The var
(or diesel) Wniue Researc
() Drive the vehicle while lows
driving vehicles are as rol10Wo
at a constant
(0) Switch off the and moderate
vehicle's engine at traffic speed as far as possible
(1) Ensure correct lights or at a place where a
(iv) Ensure
air
pressure in the tyres of
the vehicle. Low
person has to walt.
We are
regular maintenance of the vehicle tyre pressure consumes more fuel.
now in a
position to answer the (including engine tuning)
Very Short Answer
Type Questions
following questions
1. Name
three useful
2. Which products of coal.
product of coal is used as a cokt, col Ton taul ano
3.
Name the reducing agent in the extraction of
process by which plant material
into coal. (or vegetation) buried metals ? k o
4. Name Conbonisali tn deep under the earth was
5. Name
the product of coal
which is thick slowly converted
any five substances black liquid having an unpleasant smell.
coal tar. plooi ts used in everyday life which are manufactured coltor
6. Name an Panis doug senurnty starting from the products of
7. Which important source from which wanshos
substance is used for naphthalene balls are obtained. udlTa
8.Name the metalling the roads these
r

9. Name the most common fuel used in light days in place of coal tar ?
Bitun
10. Name the
fuel which is used
in jet aircraft
motor vehicles. poi Pn

petroleum engines. Dis0

11. Name the product used to drive heavy
12. petroleum product which is vehicles. Di
What the full form LPG?
is of commonly used for electric
13. Is
it possible extract petroleumLiquidà
to p/e lao generators. Die soi
from under the
14. What the full form CNG
is of ?
sea-bed?
15. Name the
16. Name
major component of natural
any two
ompoetiadaraa
gas. Mo
17. Name a fossil places
in India where
natural gas is found.
fuel other
18. Name two than coal and petroleum.
19. Name the
places in India where coal is found. n

t
a

petroleum
product used for
any four places in India where surfacing roads.
20. Name of
21. Write the full
form of PCRA. petroleum
is found. ,

22. State whether

the
following statements are true or false:
(a) Coke is almost pure form of
carbon.
(b) Coal tar is a mixture of various
(c) Kerosene is not a fossil fuel. substances.
(d) CNG is more polluting than
(e) Fossil fuels can be made in the petrol.
23. Fill in the laboratory.
following blanks with suitable words
(a) Fossil fuels are .
dIl10.
(b) Coal contains mainly.