FossilFUELS

BY GROUP 1
FOSSIL FUELS

What are fossil

fuels?
FOSSIL FUELS

A fossil fuel are made from decomposing

plants and animals. These fuels are found in
the Earth’s crust and contain carbon and
hydrogen, which can be burned for energy.
 What are examples
FOSSIL FUELS

of
fossil fuels?
FOSSIL FUELS

Coal oil Natural gas

FOSSIL FUELS

Structure of
fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons
comprised primarily of the
following elements: carbon
and hydrogen and some
sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and
mineral matter. Mineral matter
turns into ash when burnt.
Fossil fuels

Coal Facts
 Fossil fuels
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-
black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata
called coal seams.
 There are 2 methods to mine coal: surface
and underground.  Surface is cheaper and
safe.  Underground is more fun for escape
rooms! Coal
Coal is mined in 27 US states
 Its takes roughly 1 million years to form
coal.
 Coal must be relatively dry before it can be
burned successfully.
 5.3 billion tons – the amount of coal
consumed worldwide each year.
Fossil fuels

How coal was

formed?
Fossil fuels

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black

sedimentary rock with a high amount of carbon
and hydrocarbons. Coal is classified as a non-
renewable energy source because it takes
millions of years to form. Coal contains the
energy stored by plants that lived hundreds of
millions of years ago in swampy forests.
Layers of dirt and rock covered the plants over
millions of years. The resulting pressure and
heat turned the plants into the substance we call
coal.
Fossil fuels

Different stages
of
coal formation
Fossil fuels
Main types of coal – anthracite,
bituminous and lignite.
Anthracite – hardest, more
carbon, higher energy content.
Bituminous – in between
Lignite – softest, low in carbon,
high in oxygen content and
hydrogen.
Peat – precursor (a substance
from which another substance is
formed) to coal.
Fossil fuels

How coal is
used
as a fossil fuel?
Fossil fuels
Coal is primarily used as fuel
to generate electric power in
the United States. In coal-fired
power plants, bituminous coal,
sub bituminous coal, or lignite
is burned.
The heat produced by the
combustion of the coal is used
to convert water into high-
pressure steam, which drives a
turbine, which produces
electricity.
Fossil fuels

Oil facts
 Fossil fuels
Crude oil is formed from animal and plant
matter.

Oil was used by ancient societies.

Crude oil creates more than one type of fuel.

oil
Oil is used to create a multitude of products.

The world's largest oil fields are located in the

Middle East

Oil is a major source of energy

Fossil fuels

How oil is
formed?
Fossil fuels
Millions of years ago, algae and plants lived
in shallow seas. After dying and sinking to
the seafloor, the organic material mixed with
other sediments and was buried. Over
millions of years under high pressure and
high temperature, the remains of these
organisms transformed into what we know
today as fossil fuels. Coal, natural gas, and
petroleum are all fossil fuels that formed
under similar conditions.
Today, petroleum is found in vast
underground reservoirs where ancient seas
were located. Petroleum reservoirs can be
found beneath land or the ocean floor. Their
crude oil is extracted with giant drilling
machines.
Fossil fuels

How oil is used as

a fossil fuel?
 Fossil fuels

Crude oil is often a dark, sticky liquid that cannot be used

without changing it. The first part of refining crude oil is to
heat it until it boils. The boiling liquid is separated into
different liquids and gases in a distillation column. These
liquids are used to make petrol, paraffin, diesel fuel etc.
Crude oil is a mixture of different chemical called
hydrocarbons. The boiling oil turns into a mixture of gases
in the column. The gases flow up the column which is
hottest at the bottom and cooler at the top. The gases cool
down as they go up the column until they condense (turn
back into liquid again). The separated liquids and gases,
after cleaning and further processing, are used to make
many products.
Fossil fuels

Natural
Gas facts
Fossil fuels

Natural gas is clean.

 Natural gas is flexible.
Natural gas is efficient.
Natural gas is highly reliable.
Natural gas is safe. Natura
l gas
Natural gas is affordable.
Natural gas is an economic
driver.
Natural gas reduces demand on
the electric grid.
Fossil fuels

How Natural
gas is formed?
 Page 13 of 24
Fossil fuels
As the organic matter moves
deeper into Earth's crust, it
encounters higher and higher
temperatures. The combination of
compression and high temperature
causes the carbon bonds in the
organic matter to break down. This
molecular breakdown produces
thermogenic methane—natural gas.
Fossil fuels

How Natural gas is

used as a fossil fuel?
Fossil fuels

The electric power sector

Industrial sector
Residential sector
Commercial sector
Transportation sector
Fossil fuels

The largest consumer

of primary energy in
the world.
 Fossil fuels
China is the largest consumer of
primary energy in the world, using
some 157.65 exajoules in 2021.
This is far more than was
consumed by the United States,
which ranks second. The majority
of primary energy fuels are still
derived from fossil fuels such as
oil and coal.
Fossil fuels

Advantages of
fossil fuels
Fossil fuels

A major advantage of fossil fuels is their capacity to generate huge

amounts of electricity in just a single location.
Fossil fuels are very easy to find.
 When coal is used in power plants, they are very cost effective. Coal is
also in abundant supply.
 Transporting oil and gas to the power stations can be made through the
use of pipes making it an easy task.
 Power plants that utilize gas are very efficient.
Power stations that make use of fossil fuel can be constructed in almost
any location. This is possible as long as large quantities of fuel can be
easily brought to the power plants.
Fossil fuels

Disadvantages
of fossil fuels
 Fossil fuels

Pollution is a major disadvantage of fossil fuels. This is because they give off carbon dioxide when
burned thereby causing a greenhouse effect. This is also the main contributory factor to the global
warming experienced by the earth today.
Coal also produces carbon dioxide when burned compared to burning oil or gas. Additionally, it
gives off sulphur dioxide, a kind of gas that creates acid rain.
Environmentally, the mining of coal results in the destruction of wide areas of land. Mining this
fossil fuel is also difficult and may endanger the lives of miners. Coal mining is considered one of
the most dangerous jobs in the world.
Power stations that utilize coal need large amounts of fuel. In other words, they not only need
truckloads but trainloads of coal on a regular basis to continue operating and generating electricity.
This only means that coal-fired power plants should have reserves of coal in a large area near the
plant’s location.
Use of natural gas can cause unpleasant odors and some problems especially with transportation.
Use of crude oil causes pollution and poses environmental hazards
Fossil fuels

How big is the impact of

fossil fuels on climate
change and our planet?
Fossil fuels

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that emissions from fossil
fuels are the dominant cause of global warming.
Coal is a fossil fuel, and is the dirtiest of them all.
This makes it the single largest source of global temperature rise.
Oil releases a huge amount of carbon when burned - approximately a third of the world’s total
carbon emissions. There have also been a number of oil spills in recent years that have a
devastating impact on our ocean’s ecosystem.
Natural gas is often promoted as a cleaner energy source than coal and oil. However, natural gas
is still a fossil fuel and accounts for the fifth of the world’s total carbon emissions.
Fossil FUELS

The Sources and

solution of Smug
and acid rain
m o re
Fossil FUELS

SOURCE Solution
S power plants
Cars and trucks Manage and Reduce
Emissions
Coal-fired
Large industrial operations  Increase Energy Efficiency
Buy
Ships and airplanes
Renewable Energy
m o re
Conserve Energy
Minimize the Miles
Fossil fuels

Importance Fossil
of fuel
 Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels are retrieved from the ground and offshore areas and are converted into
suitable forms to produce energy. Around 90% of the electricity demand is satisfied by
fossil fuels. The main concern with the increasing use of fossil fuels revolves around the
damage to the environment that they cause. Some of the most commonly used fossil fuels
are natural gas, coal, and petroleum. They form a major part of the non-renewable
resources and have a large impact on the environment.
We depend on those fuels to heat our homes, run our vehicles, power industry and
manufacturing, and provide us with electricity. Eventually, the degree to which we depend
on fossil fuels will have to decline as the planet’s known supplies diminish, the difficulty
and cost of tapping remaining reserves increase, and the effect of their continued use on
our planet grows more critical. But shifting to new energy sources will take time.
 A Day in the
Fossil fuels

Fossil
Fueled Life
Fossil fuels

paint p illo w pro je c t 0 3

i
w a rd r o b e Sto ra g e c on ta in er B uild ingecmt ate
p roj 0 3 ria ls
Fossil fuels

MANAGE AND REDUCE

REMEMBER EMISSIONS
INCREASE ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
 USE RENEWABLE
ENERGY
me! CONSERVE ENERGY AND
 MINIMIZE THE MILES