Thesis on "Fossil Fuels - An Exploration"

Thesis 10 pages (3278 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Fossil Fuels - an Exploration of a Dying Resource

As fuel prices continue to rise across the world and effects of global warming are already being observed in some degree, the public's need to know about fossil fuels is greater than ever. Most understand that the fuels are non-renewable resources produced during the years of the dinosaurs, but most do not understand the exact dept of their usage and the profound importance of their discontinuation. Fossil fuels were created in a manor so unique that it would be nearly impossible to recreate today. Because they have been around for millions of years, however, people have been using fossil fuels for quite some time, in spite of the fact they are a non-renewable resource. While the use of fossil fuels have a long history, two major problems with the continued use of the fuels exist. First of all, the peak oil theory suggests that oil depletion has begun. Second of all, scientists have proven that the greenhouse gasses associated with global warming are caused by the burning of fossil fuels. For this reason, both the United States and the world have begun using programs to increase alternative fuel use and production. In this article, a discussion of all things fossil-fuels are offered, from an explanation of what fossil fuels are, to a suggestion of alternative fuel programs. Although much about the energy crisis is controversial, one must agree that the use of alternative fuels to replace fossil fuels is important and necessary in today's societies.

Introduction

As November looms closer and closer, many citizens can talk of only one political subject -- an energy crisis. The prices of gasoline and diesel continue to soar well above four dollars in some areas; heating and cooling homes is becoming nearly as expensive as mortgage payments. Even the price of food is bearing the cost, rising as farmers and transporters' cost of production rises. Meanwhile, presidential hopefuls pledge gas tax holidays, domestic drilling, and involvement in the Middle East to solve the problem. Although some might wonder if the current pre-occupation with oil isn't just a political stunt aimed toward motivating voters in November, the problems posed by a thinning oil resivoir are quite real. While researchers and government officials continue to look for new sources of oil, all excavation is done with the smallest glimmer of hope -- oil is a non-renewable resource. Oil is a fossil fuel, a substance formed millions of years ago from the bodies of dead life forms, animals and plants, lying under the pressure of mud that hardened into land. And while oil may be one of the fossil fuels whose absence will be felt most severely, it is not the only fossil fuel, nor is it even the only useful fossil fuel. Two other forms of energy -- coal and natural gas -- are also non-renewable fossil fuels.

Thus, the current discussion regarding the oil crisis is directly related to fossil fuels' status as a non-renewable resource. Similarly, fossil fuels are used often in the production of substances, such as plastics, and in residential heating and cooling. For this reason, the depletion of fossil fuels is a rather serious issue in this contemporary era. In fact, without oil and products such as plastics, today's civilizations would lack a significant amount of technology. In addition to the profound implications for modern technology, fossil fuels also have significant implications for the environment. While they are necessary for energy production, they are also necessary for the greenhouse gas production, and thus global warming. Thus, scientists worldwide search for an alternative fuels because of two concerns with fossil fuel -- peak oil, or the theory that oil production has reached its peak and will now begin a steady decline -- and greenhouse gasses and global warming. By taking a closer look at fossil fuels and their history, their uses, and alternative fuel development programs in both the United States and worldwide, one can have a greater gasp of the importance of fossil fuel reduction.

The Science Behind Fossil Fuels: What Are They

Millions of years ago, when plants and animals died, they were buried under layers of mud that hardened into land and rock. The earth's heat, and pressure from this land slowly caused a chemical conversion, transforming the deceased animals and plants into hydrocarbons, or a compound made of hydrogen and carbon molecules, the primary content of fossil fuels, though some fossil fuels also claim trace amounts of other compounds. Thus, fossil fuels' natural formation process is not that difficult, but the process would be difficult to repeat in the contemporary era. Typically, organic matter does not become buried under extreme amounts of pressure after it is deceased. Instead, the decaying process usually occurs at or near the earth's surface, even if the body is buried traditionally. In order to become pressurized into a fossil fuel, the amount of heat and pressure needed is astronomical. Scientists discovered this by the locations in which they discovered fossil fuels, often lurking in craters or pockets that were quickly filled with earth. In addition, the process takes millions of years, making it nearly impossible to replicate. It is for this reason that fossil fuels are so costly. Oil or petroleum, coal, and natural gas are all forms of fossil fuels, and all three can be refined and/or transported to produce energy, a process, which adds an additional cost to the already expensive fossil fuels. While other fossil fuels exist that are characterized by higher levels of hydrocarbons, most societies refrain from using these fuels because of their even higher cost. Thus, fossil fuels are hydrocarbon-filled substances that have undergone a chemical conversion of millions of years that can be refined to create energy producing substances. Because of the extreme amounts of heat, pressure, and time needed to create fossil fuels, the process is nearly impossible to recreate today, resulting in thinning supplies of fossil fuels that are also characterized by rising prices ("Fossil Fuels" 2008).

The Science Behind Fossil Fuels: Their History substance with a million year-old history, humans have been using fossil fuels since the earliest recorded dates. According to the United States Department of Energy, coal is both the "most plentiful" fossil fuel and the fuel with the "longest" and "most varied" history ("A Brief History of Coal Use" 2008). In fact, as far back as 100-200 a.D., the fuel was being used by the Roman world. Like it was during the industrial revolution, coal was first used by Native Americans in the United States to fuel the tasks of their daily lives, such as cooking and heating. Both the British and American Industrial revolutions, however, sparked the beginning of coal as a household commodity in the Western world. Thus, the saga began -- not only of industrialization, modernization, and a fossil fuel's emergence into mainstream us -- but also of the treacherous history of coal mining and coal mine's employees. Regardless of its literally black history, the use of coal enabled the Western world to understand the power of energy and industrialization ("A Brief History of Coal Use 2008").

Like coal, natural gas has had an extensive history of use since the earliest dates in history. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy reports that Plutarch "eternal fires" of Iraq were most likely descriptions of natural gas set on fire by lightning ("The History of Natural Gas" 2005). Attempts to harness natural gas as a power source first began in 1821, when a New York man drilled a well in order to increase the amount of natural gas to which he had access. Although cities often used natural gas during the 1800s to light their street lamps, transportation severely limited the use of natural gas. Unlike coal and oil, natural gas cannot be harvested and taken to individual locations, but instead must be delivered by a system of pipelines. In the late 1890s, however, those pipelines, which are still used today, were constructed. Using them, many homes are heated by natural gas, and appliances, such as clothes driers, use the fossil fuel for power ("The History of Natural Gas" 2005).

In a similar fashion to coal and natural gas, oil was discovered at a rather early date. But what is now probably the most-used and most sought-after fossil fuel worldwide was first utilized not as a producer of energy, but as a medicine and a construction agent. Its use as wall cement was even referenced in the Bible ("History of Oil Use" 2004). Reports of the Seneca Native Americans using the fuel as a medicine exist, suggesting that the tribe found the oil in a natural springs in Western Pennsylvania. In fact, the first oil well was drilled in this area in 1859 ("History of Oil Use" 2004).

Thus, from the coal that powered some of the Western world's most important industrial developments to the natural gas that still operates many Americans' clothes driers to the oil that once served… READ MORE

How to Reference "Fossil Fuels - An Exploration" Thesis in a Bibliography

Related Thesis Papers:

Alternative Fuels vs. Fossil Literature Review

Fossil fuels have been a primary fuel source for the industrial world, for centuries. Today, there are numerous alternative fuels developed and being developed to compete with fossil fuel usage.… read more

Literature Review 9 pages (2764 words) Sources: 10 Topic: Energy / Power

---

Hydrogen as a Source of Alternative Fuel Research Proposal

Hydrogen as a Source of Alternative Fuel for Singapore

The research proposal here offers a rationale for a more intensive investigation of the prospects for adoption of hydrogen fuel cells… read more

Research Proposal 7 pages (1893 words) Sources: 7 Topic: Energy / Power

---

Mechanical Engineering Dissertation

shaping the future of energy production today, including the push for more environmentally friendly alternatives as well as the most cost effective approaches. In this environment, liquefied natural gas has… read more

Dissertation 23 pages (6370 words) Sources: 70 Topic: Energy / Power

---

Is Space Exploration Necessary? Research Paper

Against Deep-Space Exploration

In April 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama announced his intention to support continued space exploration as a fundamentally valuable human endeavor. More specifically, President Obama reiterated his… read more

Research Paper 6 pages (1880 words) Sources: 8 Topic: Astronomy / Planets / Solar System

---

Why Clean Renewable Energy Is Imperative to Our Future Thesis

Renewable Energy

The United States is facing a seminal moment in terms of energy policy. Since 1970, the percentage of our oil that has been imported has increased from 24%… read more

Thesis 8 pages (2552 words) Sources: 10 Style: MLA Topic: Energy / Power

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>