1. What is Oil?
Oil is a natural liquid fuel that lies underground or beneath the seabed.
The characteristic components of oil are hydrocarbons, which are compounds made up of carbon and hydrogen.
In short, it’s a liquid made from a combination of carbon and hydrogen!
Oil is one of the fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels are energy sources that were formed over millions of years from ancient plants and animals buried in the earth.
Besides oil, coal and natural gas are also types of fossil fuels.
2. Characteristics of Oil
Oil has several characteristics, which can be summarized as follows:
2-1. It is a liquid
First of all, oil is characterized by being a “liquid.”
This makes it easy to transport and use as fuel.
For example, gasoline sold at gas stations and diesel used in factories are all made from liquid oil.
2-2. It has high energy content
When burned, oil releases a large amount of energy!
For instance, when running a car engine, gasoline is burned to produce the energy that drives the car.
Because of this high energy content, oil is used as an energy source worldwide!
For example, airplanes fly using “jet fuel” made from oil!
Thanks to the energy contained in oil, airplanes can fly thousands of kilometers.
2-3. It can be chemically transformed into various products
Oil is also used as a raw material for various products.
For example, everyday plastic products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and even some clothing items are made from oil.
Plastics are made using polymers (long chains of molecules) derived from oil!
For instance, PET bottles, smartphone cases, TVs, and car parts are all plastic products made from oil.
Oil is used in more aspects of our daily lives than you might imagine!
(Note: The differences between polymers, resins, and plastics. Polymer: a type of macromolecule, resin: a material, plastic: a molded product)
3. Specific Uses of Oil
Oil is very versatile and is used in various ways. Here are some representative uses:
3-1. Used as gasoline and diesel
The primary use of oil is as fuel!
Gasoline and diesel sold at gas stations are refined from oil.
To run cars, buses, and trucks, fuel derived from oil is indispensable!
By the way, the fuel used in airplanes is also “jet fuel” made from oil.
It’s a bit surprising that the airplane you take when traveling flies thanks to the power of oil!
3-2. Used to generate electricity
Oil is also used in thermal power generation.
Thermal power generation involves burning oil or natural gas to produce steam, which then drives turbines to generate electricity.
In Japan, a significant portion of electricity relies on thermal power generation.
Especially when nuclear power plants were temporarily shut down due to disasters, the use of oil for thermal power generation increased.
In this way, oil is also closely related to electricity!
3-3. Raw material for chemical products
Oil is also important as a raw material for the chemical industry.
For example, plastics, rubber, synthetic fibers, and pharmaceuticals are often made from oil!
In today’s world, you can find plastics everywhere.
Toys, stationery, kitchen utensils, all are made from oil!
(Note)
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