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Fossil Fuels: Formation and Impact

Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas were formed hundreds of millions of years ago from the remains of dead plants and animals. They underwent heat and pressure within the earth's crust over long periods of time. Coal forms from the accumulation and decomposition of land plants, and the deeper deposits experienced greater pressure, resulting in grades from lignite to anthracite coal. Fossil fuels are non-renewable and their reserves are being used much faster than new ones can form.

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53 views15 pages

Fossil Fuels: Formation and Impact

Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas were formed hundreds of millions of years ago from the remains of dead plants and animals. They underwent heat and pressure within the earth's crust over long periods of time. Coal forms from the accumulation and decomposition of land plants, and the deeper deposits experienced greater pressure, resulting in grades from lignite to anthracite coal. Fossil fuels are non-renewable and their reserves are being used much faster than new ones can form.

Uploaded by

ellamae sanbuenaventura
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

FORMATION OF FOSSIL FUEL

FOSSIL FUELS (Mineral Fuels)


 Formed from the fossilized remains of dead plants and
animals by exposure to heat and pressure in the Earth's crust
over hundreds of millions of years.
(Biogenic theory,by Mikhail Lomonosov in 1757)
Hydrocarbons found within the top layer of the earth’s crust. 

 Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources because they


take millions of years to form, and reserves are being
depleted much faster than new ones are being formed.
Formation of Fossil Fuels
 Formed many hundreds of millions of years ago
before the time of the dinosaurs - hence the
name fossil fuels.
 Formed during the Carboniferous Period (360
t0 286 millions year ago). It was part of the
Paleozoic Era.
 "Carboniferous" gets its name from carbon, the
basic element in coal and other fossil fuels. The
Carboniferous Period occurred from about 360
to 286 million years ago.
Major Forms of Fossil Fuels
 Petroleum
Coal
Oil
 Natural gas
COAL
 Coal is the major fuel used for
generating electricity worldwide
 Coal is derived from the
accumulation of partially decayed
land plants.
 As the sediment solidifies into rock,
the organic material decomposes
under the influence of great pressure
and high temperature. 
Different Grade of Coal
 The deeper the coal, the more pressure
was exerted on it.
 This caused different grades/types of coal:
(1) anthracite
(2) bituminous
(3) sub-bituminous
(4) lignite
LIGNITE
 The largest portion of the world's coal
reserves
 a soft, brownish-black coal that forms the
lowest level of the coal family
 the texture of the original wood can still be
seen in some pieces of lignite that is found
west of the Mississippi River in the United
States.
Sub-bituminous
 Next to lignite
 a dull black coal.
 It gives off a little more energy (heat)
than lignite when it burns.
 It is mined mostly in Montana, Wyoming
and a few other western states.
Bituminous
 Soft coal
 more energy is packed into bituminous
coal
Anthracite
 the hardest coal
 gives off a great amount of heat when it
burns.
 Unfortunately, in the United States, as
elsewhere in the world, there is little
anthracite coal to be mined. The U.S.
reserves of anthracite are located
primarily in Pennsylvania.
When coal, natural gas or oil are burned,
they release gases into the atmosphere:
 Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a "greenhouse gas," trapping
heat in the lowest part of the earth's atmosphere. This
contributes to "global warming" - the average
temperature of the earth slowly increases, affecting
ecosystems across the globe.
 Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a key contributor to acid rain,
primarily in the northeast U.S.
 Nitrogen oxide (NOx) contributes to acid rain and smog,
as well as health issues such as lung inflammation,
immune system changes and eye irritation.
Reference

 Retrieved from
[Link]

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