Fossil fuels are finite resources
because they are no longer being
made
Fossil fuels are being used up faster
than they are being formed they are
called a non-renewable resource
Fractional distillation
Crude oil is a mixture of many types of oil which are all
hydrocarbons. A hydrocarbon is made up of molecules
containing carbon and hydrogen only
Crude oil is heated at the bottom
of a fractionating column.
Oil that doesn't burn sinks as a
thick liquid to the bottom. this is
Bitumen.
Other fractions containing
mixtures of hydrocarbons with
similar boiling points boil and their
gases rise up the column. The
column is cooler at the top
Problems in extracting crude oil
Transporting oil can cause
problems. oil slicks can damage
birds feathers and cause their deaths
Their may be political problems related to
the extraction of crude oil.
Cracking
Cracking is a process that turns large
alkane molecules into smaller alkane and
alkene molecules.
An alkene molecule has a double
bond which makes it useful for
making polymers
Its also helps oil
manufactures match supply
with demand for products
like petrol