How are fossil fuels made?
115109
The process is known as catagenesis. Here is how it works: (By the way, oil can range in age from millions of years to only a few thousand years old- and some biogenic natural gas is being generated almost as it is pumped from the ground)\n\nCrude oil and natural gas is formed from accumulations of small organisms, mostly phytoplankton and zooplanton that are buried in sediments in both marine and lacustrine (fresh water) environments. Other organic material is mixed in such as spores, pollen, woody material, and other material such as fecal pellets from marine organisms. These materials often settle through the water into an organic-rich mud that is very low in oxygen (anaerobic) so there are few organisms to feed on the material and it accumulates over long periods of time. Rivers contribute to this process by both delivering large quantities of organic matter, and also large amounts of sediment to bury this organic matter.\n\nOver time these clay-rich sediments are buried under thousands of feet of sediments, dewatered by pressure from the overlying sediment and become shale. As the shale is buried its temperature increases due to geothermal warming. When it reaches temperatures and pressures of 140 degrees F. (60 C) it begins to convert to oil. As temperature increases from continuing burial processes it reachs a temperature where it begins to form natural gas. Both the oil and the gas are gradually expelled from the shale. Typically shales are found in depositional settings where they may be interbedded with sandstones. Sandstones will have higher porosity (more and bigger holes) than shale and the oil and gas will displace salt water that is remaining in the sandstones. Eventually the oil and gas migrates upward through the water and if the overlying structure has formed some sort of a trapping configuration, (like a sandstone overlain by an impervious shale, or a fault that has created a seal against the sandstone, then this becomes an oil reservoir.\n\nA very similar process occurs in carbonate rocks, like limestone and dolomite, except the organic material originates within the carbonate rock in many instances. If the carbonate reef (for example) has been buried by an impervious layer of shale or carbonate mud of a sabkha, it will become an oil reservoir. In other instances, the source of the oil will be a shale that is below the carbonate rocks, and the oil will migrate upward into this reservoir.\n\n\nReference: John M Hunt, 1996, "Petroleum Geochemistry and Geology", W.H. Freeman & Co: New York. 743 pp.\n\nI'm a petroleum geologist.
699057
The burning of fossil fuels containing sulphur and nitrogen:\n\nS + O2 ---> SO2\n\nN2 + 2O2 ---> 2NO2
1055635
It formed of dead bodies of plankton million years ago, found in certain rock formation called reservoir. Produced by drilling an oil well and gathered into surface facilities. Separated from its impurities (sediments and water), it transported mostly by pipeline to the refineries. The refineries extract the crude components at each weights to make various type of fuel such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel oil and so on. Crude oil composed by carbons and hydrogen that so called hydrocarbon. Hydrocarbons constitute a very large group including alkanes, alkenes, and alykynes.\nIt's non-renewable energy resources.
925702
Fossil Fuels have been more valuable because of the war at Middle East which is centered at Iraq which holds a lot of oil (which is a main fossil fuel) at Middle East. Government have made solar panels, hydroelectricity dams, and wind turbines to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Fossil Fuels have a negative impact on the environment because it causes global warming.
151335
. Most "baby oils" are primarily made of mineral oil. To make mineral oil, gasoline and kerosene are removed from crude petroleum by heating, in a method call functional distillation. By using sulfuric acid, applying absorbents, and washing with solvents and alkalis, hydrocarbons and other chemicals are then removed.
49878
I was in the same boat as the guy who answered this question before me, but after reading a few news articles I realize that it is true.\n\n"Hydrocarbon Technologies, a Utah subsidiary of Headwaters Incorporated, announced that the $2 billion project with Shenhua Group, China's largest coal company, would eventually produce 50,000 barrels of clean-burning gasoline and diesel fuel per day."\n\nhttp://www.upi.com/inc/view.php?StoryID=19062002-041015-4320r\n\nHow it works, I got from here: http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/1organic/coal.html\n\nThe first step toward making liquid fuels from coal involves the manufacture of synthesis gas (CO and H2) from coal. In 1925, Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch developed a catalyst that converted CO and H2 at 1 atm and 250 to 300C into liquid hydrocarbons. By 1941, Fischer-Tropsch plants produced 740,000 tons of petroleum products per year in Germany.\n\nFischer-Tropsch technology is based on a complex series of reactions that use H2 to reduce CO to CH2 groups linked to form long-chain hydrocarbons.\n\nCO(g) + 2 H2(g) ----->  (CH2)n(l) + H2O(g)(Ho = -165 kJ/molrxn)\n\n\nThe water produced in this reaction combines with CO in the water-gas shift reaction to form H2 and CO2.\n\nCO(g) + H2O(g) ----->  CO2(g) + H2(g)(Ho = -41.2 kJ/molrxn)\n\nThe overall Fischer-Tropsch reaction is therefore described by the following equation.\n\n2 CO(g) + H2(g) -----> (-CH2-)n(l) + CO2(g)  (Ho = -206 kJ/molrxn)\n\nAt the end of World War II, Fischer-Tropsch technology was under study in most industrial nations. The low cost and high availability of crude oil, however, led to a decline in interest in liquid fuels made from coal. The only commercial plants using this technology today are in the Sasol complex in South Africa, which uses 30.3 million tons of coal per year.\n\nAnother approach to liquid fuels is based on the reaction between CO and H2 to form methanol, CH3OH.\n\nCO(g) + 2 H2(g) ----->  CH3OH(l)\n\nMethanol can be used directly as a fuel, or it can be converted into gasoline with catalysts such as the ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst developed by Mobil Oil Company.\n\nAs the supply of petroleum becomes smaller and its cost continues to rise, a gradual shift may be observed toward liquid fuels made from coal. Whether this takes the form of a return to a modified Fischer-Tropsch technology, the conversion of methanol to gasoline, or other alternatives, only time will tell.
421054
Its not known for sure-The most widely accepted theory for oil is that it formed primarily from plant life trapped in low oxygen conditions for millions of years- Its not entirely clear if this is true, since we cant seem to find intermediate forms of this transformaion process.  Another theory is that oil is waste product from the deep-crust bacteria that have recently been discovered.  As far as coal goes, there is much better evidence that this was a form of chemically transformed plantlife, probably peat or swamp areas of low oxygen.
1011305
Organic matter does not have to be heated to form petroleum.  Petroleum forms from compression AND heat.
512454
There are several theories as to what the best method for dealing with excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The one that I like the best is to turn it into rock. Yes, rock. Ever seen the Grand Canyon? It is made up of carbonate rocks. Through "relatively" simple chemical reactions, scientists can mix carbon dioxide gas with catalysts and form it into rock. Another option is to seed the ocean with powdered iron to stimulate the growth of photosynthetic (use CO2 and give off oxygen)plankton. This is an incredibly powerful method, but is also risky because we don't really understand how this will affect the food chain of the oceans. \nLastly, there is a place in Canada that is pumping carbon dioxide into the chambers left over from oil drilling. The CO2 is compressed into a "supercritical" state, where it behaves like a dense liquid. As a bonus, the CO2 helps to "push out" the oil, making the pumping more efficient. Thousands of tons of carbon dioxide have already been sequestered at just this facility. There are also huge bodies of water underground, where millions of more tons of CO2 can be sequestered.For more info, search for "carbon dioxide sequestration", as that is a common scientinfic term for what you want to do.
174582
The energy contained in corn is in the form of stored chemical energy (in the form of hydrocarbons), that was created by solar energy and photosynthesis of the corn plant. \n\nThe seeds of corn can be made into sugar, food, ethanol, or even burnt alone as fuel. Each of these products contains hydrocarbons that contain chemical energy that can be converted to heat energy. Some new work is being done to convert the rest of the corn plant to ethanol or other sources of energy. It was common to burn corn cobs during the depression as fuel to heat homes. Today, they may be converted to alchohol fuel for automobiles using genetically engineered yeast. Shell Global Solutions and Iogen in Canada have built a demonstration plant to create ethanol from cellulose, which could include the entire corn plant, or other plant materials like wheat straw that shows great promise for producing environmentally-friendly economic fuel.
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Photosynthesis generally takes light, CO2 & water and makes sugars.  These sugars are chemically converted in to food, propane, methanol, ethanol, coal, oil, wood and all the other fossil fuels and orgnic compounds on the earth, through natural, geologic, and/or manmade processes.  At every step of each process, energy is lost.  To gain usable energy, other than in biologic processes, requires burning something, and using the expansion of heated gases to create physical force (motion), or then using physical force to drive a generator to create electrical current.    \n\nWe do not currently have an effecient method of making electicity using incoming Solar radiation.  Current solar cells convert a small percentage of one section of the electromagnetic spectrum into electric current.\n\nHope this helps.
970194
It is a non-renewable fossil fuel.  Oil and natural gas are also fossil fuels.
434185
The original way was to have animals live with us - body heat.  Solar and water power also work.  Lighting many many candles home made from animal fats was also used in the past.  There is also the ever popular fireplace and franklin stove burning wood (not a fossil fuel) but not coal (which is a fossil fuel).  If you are lucky to live near a hot spring - that also can be used.
647335
synthetic gasoline and diesel fuels can be made from coal by a process called gasification (products are carbon monoxide and hydrogen) followed by Fischer-Tropsch reaction in which CO and H2 produce gasoline and diesel fuel.\n\nAlso, fuels for cars are: ethanol (fermentation processes from any sugar source), acetylene (can power engines in 2 times - east german Trabant engine), biodiesel (only for diesel engines) (made from natural oils (new or used) and methanol) \n\nSearch with googgle using key words: biofuel, bioethanol, fischer-tropsch, biodiesel (can be made at home), hydrogen (water electolysis or algae producers)
544003
First of all, I believe you mean "conventional" resources. Coal, along with oil, peat, wood and natural gas is a conventional energy resource. These are all classified as fossil fuels. They are made up of the remains of once living matter. For the present, they are in plentiful supply. However, as with all things on and in this planet, they are NOT in INFINATE supply. Some day we WILL run out of them.Unconventional resources, such as nuclear power and renewable fuels, are being developed as we speak.
976252
Trees that fell down millions of years ago and got so compressed that eventually it turned into coal by fossilisation. Oil is thethe fossilised remains of billions of insects and other creepy crawlies
337319
The USA creates more energy than any other country in the world.  When energy is created, especially by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, chemical fumes are released into the air.  These chemicals, especially sulfuric dioxide and nitrogen oxides, combine with water vapor in clouds, and when it rains, the resulting acid is carried back to earth in the raindrops.