OIL / PETROLEUM
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, is a naturally occurring substance found in Earth in a liquid, gaseous, or solid state. It is created from the remains of million year old plants and animals, which have been naturally heated and pressurized from the layers above to create crude oil. Petroleum is made up of complex hydrocarbons, and is one of the world’s primary fossil fuels because of its high energy density, its ease of transport, and its relative abundance. Petroleum serves as the energy source for the majority of vehicle transportation and is also an important base for many industrial chemicals. The United States is currently the largest consumer of petroleum, which provides almost 40% of total U.S. energy needs.
http://www.instituteofenergyresearch.org/
The primary method of extracting petroleum is through the use of oil wells in oil fields. The oil is pressurized, either naturally or with the aid of humans, and rises to the surface where it can be recovered. Oil can also be extracted from oil shale or tar sands, but these are less efficient methods.
Though petroleum has proven to be an important source of energy for our society, it has also presented multiple environmental problems. First of all, the action of drilling for oil is costly and destructive. The search for and extraction of oil from offshore locations involves dredging which is harmful to the seabed, marine plants, and animals. After establishing an oil plant, there is always the risk of oil spills. Accidents occur at the plants and on oil tankers, and between 100 and 100,000 tons of oil may be released into open waters. Unlike spills on land, ocean spills are not easily contained and will spread for miles, covering beaches and killing plants and animals.
Currently, one of the more significant environmental concerns regarding petroleum is the carbon dioxide produced from burning. Though the burning of oil does produce less carbon than the burning of coal, its use as a fuel for vehicles and to heat homes makes it a large contributor to overall CO2 emissions, and therefore it has a large impact on climate change. The production of oil at refineries, and the burning of petroleum products in general, also produces air pollutants. These pollutants include carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and unburned hydrocarbons, all of which are harmful substances to the environment and society.
Consumption:
Consuming Nation 2006 |
(1000 bbl/day) |
bbl/year per capita |
United States |
20,687.42 |
24.8 |
China |
7,201.28 |
1.9 |
Japan |
5,197.70 |
14.8 |
Russia |
2,810.76 |
7.2 |
Germany |
2,691.81 |
12 |
India |
2,571.90 |
0.8 |
Canada |
2,296.66 |
26.5 |
Brazil |
2,216.84 |
4.3 |
South Korea |
2,179.90 |
16.3 |
Saudi Arabia (OPEC) |
2,139.42 |
28.9 |
Mexico |
2,077.51 |
7.1 |
France |
1,981.18 |
11.9 |
United Kingdom |
1,812.01 |
10.9 |
Italy |
1,742.58 |
10.9 |
Iran (OPEC) |
1,679.20 |
8.9 |
Total Consumption of World: ~84 million barrels per day (13400000 m³/d)
Additional Sources:
Energy Information Administration Official energy statistics from the U.S. government
National Petroleum Council An Oil and Natural Gas Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Energy
World Petroluem Council The Global Forum for Oil & Gas Science, Technology, Economics & Management