Petroleum, a precious resource extracted from deep within the earth, has become the backbone of our modern world, permeating almost every facet of our daily lives. Its incredible versatility and unrivaled energy density have fueled several applications, revolutionizing industries and propelling technological advancements. In this article, I aim to delve into the top seven transformative uses of petroleum and uncover the diverse domains it permeates. Join me in exploring the remarkable ways in which petroleum shapes our world and underpins the foundations of our modern society.
What Are The Various Uses of Petroleum
Some of the uses of petroleum include agriculture, transportation, road construction, industrial power, lubricants, and pharmaceuticals. Also, it is the primary source of raw materials for the petrochemical industry.
Its utility extends across several industries due to its abundant hydrocarbons and vital constituents, which serve as valuable resources for manufacturing numerous products. Kindly check out another article on petroleum products derivable from crude oil. Let us now examine all the beneficiary industries one after the other.
Agriculture: Ammonia is a nitrogen source for agricultural fertilizers, but before its advent, farmers rely on manure and other biological processes for yield enhancements. It is a byproduct of crude oil that has since turned things around and brought about exceptional growth in agriculture.
Also, pesticides, byproducts of crude oil, have brought about consistent healthy crop yields we never deemed possible. Furthermore, mechanized farmers rely on petroleum to power their industrial equipment, like tractors, planters, harvesters, and vans.
So, it is evident that petroleum plays a vital role in global agriculture because it aids fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides production, resulting in enhanced crop yields and ensuring food security.
Transportation: Petroleum is a predominant source of power for all leading forms of transport – road, rail, water, and air. It is not only essential for the production of some essential fuels but also for the fabrication of some vehicle parts.
Consequently, it mitigates the many burdens associated with the primitive means of transporting goods and humans.
Other Uses of Crude Oil
Industrial power generation: Petroleum is the backbone of industrial power generation because most industrialists rely on its byproducts to power their turbines and other power-generating sets. Diesel and gasoline are used in gas turbines to produce electricity.
Road Construction: Petroleum-based bitumen is essential in asphalt production. Due to its durability and weather resistance, asphalt is a paving solution for road surfaces, airport runways, and waterproofing applications. Also, without petroleum, road construction equipment such as tractors, graders, and vehicles will have no fuel to run.
Lubricants: Motor oils, greases, and lubricants derived from petroleum reduce friction, protect machinery, and ensure smooth operation in engines, industrial equipment, and countless mechanical systems. Without them, no machine can run smoothly.
Petrochemical industry: All petrochemical industries depend on petroleum byproducts to produce fertilizer, synthetic fiber, synthetics, nylon, and plastics. Also, products such as pesticides, insecticides, perfumes, dyes, paints, and many more are petroleum byproducts.
Pharmaceuticals: Do you know that mineral oil and petrolatum are byproducts of crude oil? Of course, they are! Most body creams contain them, just as some hair creams contain tar – a byproduct of crude oil.
What is Petroleum? A Little Insight into Crude Oil
Crude oil is an underground, naturally occurring liquid comprising hydrocarbons and other organic components from which we generate gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas, jet fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, and fuel oils. It is a naturally occurring fossil fuel enclosed in geological formations beneath the earth’s surface. Petroleum is an essential natural resource from which we obtain diesel and other byproducts to power our vehicles and machines.
Also, some vehicle components are byproducts of crude oil, which invariably makes petroleum an indispensable product to the automobile industry.
Crude Oil Variation
It is time to look at some of the characteristics of crude oil, most importantly, its variations. Petroleum does not only vary in color but also in density. Some blends are light in density while others are heavy – heavier crudes are usually darker and vice versa.
Also, due to different factors, crude oil comes in different tastes. The sweet blend has low sulfur content and is in high demand, while the sour has high sulfur content and attracts low prices in the market.
Petroleum contains many hydrocarbon molecules, such as paraffin, naphthene, and asphalt. Except for a few blends, crude oil is useless until its refining process is complete.
Adverse Effect of Petroleum
Crude oil is a growth catalyst but has several adverse effects, such as environmental pollution, wildlife endangerment, landscape destruction, and deforestation. Its other side effects include growth in terrorist activities and harmful waste generation.
Limited in Supply: A scarcely distributed natural resource with high global demand, petroleum reservoirs are depleting by the day. Its limitedness in supply affects many disadvantaged countries, making them live at the mercy of the oil-producing countries.
Environmental Pollution: Petroleum generates a lot of environmental pollutants, and experts believe it is responsible for global warming. Furthermore, many oil spills, including the BP oil spill, have left bitter pills for people to swallow.
Hazardous Substances: Certain harmful wastes emanated from crude oil refining. For instance, heavy oil contains higher sulfur content, and during its refining process, its harmful content finds its way into the air. When we release harmful content into the air, we invariably expose our health to different hazards.
Growth in Terrorist Activities: Most sponsors of terrorist groups are oilmen or drug barons. Most terrorists have access to oil money which gives them so much leverage, and that is why it has been challenging to curb terrorism all over the world.