petroleum

What is petroleum?

Basically, oil is a fossil fuel. This means that they are the remains of living organisms that existed a long time ago. The meaning of the word fossil is fundamental to understanding how oil was formed. This fuel, often also called simply "crude", can be refined into various solutions that are very useful in human activities, especially in the industrial sector. From crude oil, gasoline, kerosene, various fuels and much more can be generated, hence its importance and the significant place it occupies in the world economy.

The formation of petroleum

The formation of oil is possible thanks to a complex physical and chemical process that took place inside the Earth. Due to the pressure of the Earth and high temperatures, after millions and millions of years, all organic matter came to be transformed into what we know today as oil. The main organic matter that gives rise to oil comes from marine organisms. Remains of animals that lived in the seas and oceans of the world millions of years ago, mixed with various sediments, sand and mud. These deposits, rich in organic matter, were formed mainly from phytoplankton and zooplankton, as well as from matter of plant and animal origin. After many millions of years, they turn first into rocks and then into crude oil.

The process spans millions of years and does not stop. The sediments that are deposited at the bottom of the sea today will surely give oil as a result millions of years from now. As the sediments accumulate, with the passage of time, the pressure of those that remain below multiplies, and the temperature increases. This turns the silt and sand into shale and sandstone. Carbonates and shell debris turn into limestone and the soft tissues of dead organisms turn into oil. Oil can be in a liquid state, called crude oil; or in a gaseous state, known as natural gas. Both are a very valuable source of energy for humanity, and although it is a non-renewable energy, it is still the main supporter of human activities.