Petroleum

The term 'Petroleum' is derived from two words - 'Petra' which means 'rock' and 'oleum' which means 'oil'. It is mined from the rocks under the Earth. Petroleum (also known as crude oil) is a fossil fuel formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms. Petroleum is one of the biotic resources and is produced from decayed organic matter. There are some abiotic resources also. Some of the examples of abiotic resources are air, soil, water, rocks, and minerals such as gold, silver, and copper.

Formation of Petroleum:

Petroleum is also known as fossil fuel as it is produced by the decomposition of dead organisms. It is an oily liquid, dark in color with an unpleasant odour. Petroleum is extracted from oil wells by drilling through pipelines.

Petroleum Refining: Petroleum is a mixture of gas, diesel, lubricating oil etc. Since the constituents serve different purposes, it is important to separate them out. This process of separation is known as petroleum refining. It is a three-step process. In the first stage, the crude oil is separated into different components using fractional distillation. Where the heavy particles remain settled at the bottom whereas, the lighter particles rise up as vapour. The next step is conversion, in which the heavy particles are converted into gasoline, diesel etc. The last step is refining, in which the constituents are refined to remove impurities.

Petroleum

Petroleum

How is Petroleum and Natural Gas formed?

Formation of Petrol and Natural gas

When the sea organisms die, their bodies sink to the bottom of the sea. With time, they get covered by layers of sand and clay. Over millions of years, these remains get transformed into petroleum and natural gas due to high temperature, high pressure, and absence of air. When we dig oil wells, natural gas is above crude oil which in turn is above water.

This happens because gas and oil are lighter than water and do not mix with them. First Oil Well in the World was drilled in Pennsylvania, the USA in 1859. The second Oil Well in the World was drilled in Makum, Assam, India in 1867 (after eight years). In India, the oil is found in Assam, Gujarat, Mumbai High, and the River basins of Godavari and Krishna.

Oil Resources in India

Refining of Petroleum

Originally, petroleum is a mixture of many things, such as petrol, diesel, petroleum gas, paraffin wax, lubricating oil etc.

It is a dark and oily liquid with an unpleasant odour.

  • Refining petroleum is the process by which different constituents of petroleum are separated.
  • This process takes place in a petroleum refinery.

Constituents of Petroleum and their Uses

 

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Why Petroleum is called ‘black gold?

  • Petroleum is called 'black god' because it yields several substances that are commercially successful. The useful substances obtained from petroleum and natural gas are called 'petrochemicals'.

 Petrochemicals are used in manufacturing:

  • Synthetic fibers (such as Polyester, Nylon, Acrylic etc.),
  • Detergents,
  • Polythene, and
  • Man-made plastics.

Natural gas also yields Hydrogen gas which is used in the production of fertilizers (such as urea).