What Is Petroleum

Sorry, but your question is?

I' don't know either, but here's the answer - http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/315429/What-Is-Petroleum

Somewhat strangely, it seems to have pre-empted the question.

crude oil contains less than 1% metals like nickel , iron , vanadium , copper , arsenic. these metals go with heavy risedue for paving roads. could these metals be extracted from crude oil where these days the price of crude oil is low?

Old spoil tips at mines are often re-worked as economics change, but I'm not sure that digging holes in roads is viable. Maybe that's what HenrryWilson was getting at. I like the suggestion of valuing crude as a (finite) source of materials rather then energy.

I like the suggestion of valuing crude as a (finite) source of materials rather then energy.

This statement sums up the point that I want people to consider when talking about "getting away from oil" nicely - thanks.

Credit to your good self (I'd forgotten who posted it whilst I was in the Editor box) .

I think I see your point, Henrry -

Whenever people discuss the issue of "changing over to electric cars so we won't be dependant on foreign oil," they completely miss a really big part of the problem - crude oil is not only used to make gasoline to fuel a car, it is used for many things which cannot all be replaced with a new fuel source.

Crude oil is used to make asphalt for roads, rubber for tires, various plastics, butane, propane, the list goes on. If you go to all electric cars then demand for gasoline drops, but all that this accomplishes is gasoline becomes a cheap byproduct of producing all of the other products that are produced at the refinery. Why haven't I ever heard any of this mentioned on the 5 o'clock news or in a politician's speech?

Of course it's rediculous when we hear Lord Barac Oboma, the most merciful say that we will "be off oil in 10 years". When he proclaimed this and all the sicophants went wild with glee my first question was, "if we are "off of oil" what are we going to make all of the petroleum based products out of?" As you stated, rubber, asphalt, plastics of all sort, pharmacuticals, epoxy and polyester resins, fabrics...... the list goes on and on.

You can't go through 10 minutes of your life without touching something derived from the oil industry.

Why this is not covered on the news is due to a number of things. First and foremost nobody in the media wanted to be seen as opposing or questioning the wistom of Lord Barac Oboma, the most merciful lest it jepordize one vote (legal vote or otherwise). Another reason is that the masses (you know, the unwashed as it were) think first, and most, only of their car when the term "oil" is brought up. If that is all the huddled masses are thinking about and when you have them in the palm of your hand, why confuse them with the facts?

The same can be said of the zeal for electric cars. They don't polute you know. Never mind what is at the end of the extension cord which may be coal or natural gas fired, nuclear or (we can all hope) a windmill.

Just remember, the facts, interesting as they may be are irrelevent.

Travis

Begin rant!!

It is indeed interesting that many of our hydrocarbon products are ultimately made from crude oil feedstock. Many of these can be made from processing coal (in either liquid or gaseous form) to form intermediate feedstocks. This has been demonstrated many years ago. Crude oil can also be used to make these feedstocks and there is no mystery in doing it, but it all comes down to cost effectiveness. Crude Oil was used for production of feedstocks, not because coal couldn't be used, but because drilling, production and processing costs were cost effective relative to coal. The whole idea of not using coal for feedstock production seems inane to me. For years, I worked in coal research and utilization, and I know it is possible to build and operate coal processing facilities that can meet whatever pollution control guidelines the government proposes. Achievement of acceptable pollution levels in coal processing systems can be readily achieved; however, it will only occur when "proper" governmental regulations are placed on the owners of the processing units.

Too much of the pollution control issue on facilities operating with coal (at least in the US) has been due to the animosity between the corporate owners and the EPA. What is needed is a spirit of cooperation. The same with the oil industry. I believe that if we all (industry and government) worked together rather than being at odds with each other because of ego trips by one side or the other, we could solve the pollution problems without trying to eliminate either coal or oil from the equation. If we eliminate these feedstocks, we are sure to shoot ourselves in the foot (or in the thigh like Plaxico Buress). Seems like we are our own worst enemy.

As to the use of coal or oil to produce power to generate hydrogen by electrolysis for powering electric cars, it is wasteful and polluting. The overall energy utilization is necessarily reduced. Personally, if one wants to provide electrical power for generation of hydrogen or for recharging electrical batteries, I would vote for use of geothermal energy (and the putting of more emphasis on development of technology for superconducting transmission lines). W/R to Geothermal energy, other than the massive capital outlay to build the facilities (which could be subsidized by governments), the energy while not inexhaustable is cheap and clean.

End of rant!!

Also, may people don't seem to be aware that the most contaminated site, which they never get exposure to because they actually are quite dangerous, are those where batteries have been stored, even temporarily, over a period of time. A transition to batteries as a primary power source, while good for civil engineers, definitely will not improve the environment just change the nature of the pollution to something that directly impacts people more (though of course you can control where the contamination occurs more readily and keeping it to the poorer areas, away from the wealthier actors and new york socialites).

Just a little bit of my 2 cents. One thing that many people do not realize when they are speaking of gasoline is that unlike other hydrocarbons used for fuels, there is not a chemical formula for "gasoline". It is a mix of several things blended together to achieve the desired result and the combination is not always the same from one refinery to another. This creates many problems for an engineer and would be like trying to design a bridge where you cannot know if the beams are going to be made of copper, aluminum, or stainless steel. It is much better than it once was but it still is a daunting effort.

Rich Hurd