What is a fossil fuel ? How does it differ from other fuels and why it is harmful for environment.?

Answer 1

Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel oil or natural gas, formed from the remains of dead plants and animals. The theory that hydrocarbons were formed from these remains was first introduced by Mikhail Lomonosov in 1757. In common dialogue, the term fossil fuel also includes hydrocarbon-containing natural resources that are not derived from animal or plant sources. These are sometimes known instead as mineral fuels. The utilization of fossil fuels has enabled large-scale industrial development and largely supplanted water-driven mills, as well as the combustion of wood or peat for heat.

Fossil fuel is a general term for buried combustible geologic deposits of organic materials, formed from decayed plants and animals that have been converted to crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy oils by exposure to heat and pressure in the earth's crust over hundreds of millions of years.

When generating electricity, energy from the combustion of fossil fuels is often used to power a turbine. Older generators often used steam generated by the burning of the fuel to turn the turbine, but in newer power plants the gases produced by burning of the fuel turn a gas turbine directly.

With global modernization in the 20th and 21st centuries, the thirst for energy from fossil fuels, especially gasoline derived from oil, is one of the causes of major regional and global conflicts. A global movement toward the generation of renewable energy is therefore underway to help meet the increased global energy needs.

The burning of fossil fuels by humans is the largest source of emissions of carbon dioxide, which is one of the greenhouse gases that allows radiative forcing and contributes to global warming. The atmospheric concentration of CO2, a greenhouse gas, is increasing, raising concerns that solar heat will be trapped and the average surface temperature of the Earth will rise in response. A small portion of hydrocarbon-based fuels are biofuels derived from atmospheric carbon dioxide, and thus do not increase the net amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

In the United States, more than 90% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the combustion of fossil fuels. In addition other air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, VOCs, and heavy metals are produced.

Combustion of fossil fuels generates sulfuric, carbonic, and nitric acids, which fall to Earth as acid rain, impacting both natural areas and the built environment. Monuments and sculptures made from Marble are particularly vulnerable, as the acids dissolve calcium carbonate.

Fossil fuels also contain radioactive materials, mainly uranium and thorium, are released into the atmosphere. In 2000, about 12,000 metric tons of thorium and 5,000 metric tons of uranium were released worldwide from burning coal. It is estimated that during 1982, US coal burning released 155 times as much radioactivity into the atmosphere as the Three Mile Island incident.

Burning coal also generates large amounts of fly ash and bottom ash.

Harvesting, processing, and distributing fossil fuels can also create environmental problems. Coal mining methods, particularly mountaintop removal and strip mining, have been causes for concern. While offshore oil drilling may create a hazard for aquatic organisms. Oil refineries See Oil refinery can pose threats to the environment. Transportation of coal requires the use of diesel-powered locomotives, while crude oil is typically transported by tanker ships. Each of these requires the combustion of fossil fuels.

Environmental regulation uses a variety of approaches to limit these emissions, such as command-and-control (which mandates the amount of pollution or the technology used), economic incentives, or voluntary programs.

Answer 2

Fossil fuels are remains of plants and animals buried under the earth millions of years ago. Coal, petroleum and natural gases are fossil fuels. Nearly 80% of the commercial energy we all use comes from these fuels and the rate of consumption beginning with the industrial age has been ever increasing. When we burn fossil fuels for heating and/or power generation, it produces CO2 and other greenhouse gases. These greenhouses gases trap the heat radiated out from the earths surface and thus increasing the earths temperature. There are two major options to reduce the GH gases:
1. Reduce use of energy. We can easily reduce our electric bill by not wasting the same when not required, by using energy efficient equipment ( like CFL lamp etc).
2. Use renewable and non-polluting energy sources like solar, wind, tidal, biomass energy.

Answer 3

Fossil fuels are the remnants of decomposed biomass, plants animals, the whole works. It's mostly carbon and hydrogen, since life on earth is carbon-based. The energy that is released when gas is burned is stored in carbon bonds. These bonds were created by the once-living organisms themselves. Plants raked the carbon from the atmosphere during photosynthesis to compose most of their mass ( this is why hydroponics work, a plant's food source is the atmosphere and sunlight!) and once dead, they eventually form a geological layer of potential fuel.
Burning ( breaking the bonds) combines the carbon with oxygen to form C02 again, increasing the mass of the atmosphere and in doing so, allowing it to absorb more solar energy, which results in more thermal activity - weather. Also, chemical by-products of combustion include mercury and arsenic and leftover solid carbon (eg soot).

Answer 4

Fossil fuels include petroleum, coal, and natural gas; all were laid down hundreds of millions of years ago. All contain carbon, which when burned, yields carbon dioxide, believed by some to contribute to unwanted increasing global temperature. Technically, uranium is also a fossil fuel, but it does not create carbon dioxide when used for power production, so is normally considered separately.

Answer 5

fossil fuel is any fuel that comes from plants and animals that died millions of years ago. Examples are oil, coal, natural gas, and tar sands.

The reason they are bad for the environment is that the hydrocarbons they are made of have been underground for millions of years so digging them up and burning them puts that stuff back into the air and may change the climate.

Also if you don't properly burn a filter them they put out poisons chemicals.

Answer 6

Petroleum and Natural Gass are Fossile fuel, they are harmful because they produce Carbon Di Oxide when burn and consume oxygen.

Answer 7

fossil fuel isa old fuel powered by the dinsours.

Answer 8

You look implying that because of the fact a individual makes one efficient determination to assist cut back their carbon footprint, that they then could be suitable in all approaches or their determination is incomprehensible. that's a faux dichotomy; one would not could make a choice from being vegetarian and doing different issues to assist our surroundings. the fact of the problem is which you have no theory what *else* some persons are doing to cut back our effect on earth. Switching from a meat-based nutrition regimen to a vegan nutrition regimen has been equated to switching from making use of an SUV to using a motorbike. on the grounds that i've got not got an SUV to offer up and that i do no longer rigidity lots besides (I commute to and from artwork on the bus and purely rigidity my gas-efficient automobile occassionally,) going vegan made greater distinction in my carbon footprint than giving up making use of could have. I additionally cut back, reuse, recycle, compost, purchase interior reach, and enhance my own produce in season. whether I weren't doing something "greater" however, changing my nutrition regimen could nevertheless be an invaluable decision. merely on the grounds which you are able to't clean up each and all the international's problems in one fell swoop is not any reason to no longer make incremental substitute the place you are able to.