nPostednon November 17, 2016
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Thisnis NOT a day to double down on old technologies that pollute thenenvironment. It’s not a day to insist that we want big, gas-guzzlingncars, and it’s not a day to shrug aside alternative energy sources.
Thisnis NOT a day to double down on old technologies that pollute thenenvironment. It’s not a day to insist that we want big, gas-guzzlingncars, and it’s not a day to shrug aside alternative energy sources.n
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nInstead,nit’s a day to learn more about petroleum. Like…did you know thatnthis substance has been used since ancient times? And…did you knownthat petroleum is an important ingredient in many medicines andnmaterials, makeup and paint, agricultural needs, and more?
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nAnbrief history of petroleum
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nPetroleumnis made from vast quantities of dead plankton and algae falling tonthe bottom of seas and lakes, where the remains mix with dirt andnsand. As further layers settle on top, the lower layers heat up. Thenpressure from above and the heat causes the fossilized remains tonchange to a waxy material called kerogen and then into liquid /ngaseous hydrocarbons. n
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nSonthe petroleum we have today was made long, long ago from the remainsnof living things that lived even longer ago! That’s why we say thatnpetroleum and other fossil fuels (fuels made of the fossilizednremains of once-living things) are not renewable. Once we use up thenpetroleum we have now, we would have to wait millions upon millionsnof years for more to form!
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| Ancient peoples used natural tars to waterproof boats and seal roofs. |
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nFormsnof petroleum have been used since ancient times. Asphalt (a stickynblack form of petroleum) was used to build the ancient city ofnBabylon. Ancient Persians used petroleum in their medicines and innorder to create lights. In the mid 300s A.D. (C.E.), Chinese peoplenbegan using bamboo to drill for oil. In Myanmar, hundreds of hand-dugnwells produced oil – apparently since ancient times. In Europe,npetroleum has been explored and used since the late 15thnCentury. n
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| “Greek fire” couldn’t be put out with water. Historians think it was made using petroleum. |
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nModernndistillation and use of petroleum got its start with Scottish chemistnJames Young in the mid-1800s.
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nPetroleumnproducts
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nHerenis a partial list of products made from (at least in part) petroleum:
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ngaseousn fuels such as propane
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nliquidn fuels such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuels, jet fuels, etc.
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nlubricantsn such as motor oil and greases
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nparaffinn wax, which is used in the packaging of frozen foods, etc.
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nslackn wax, which is used for candles, matches, and other products
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nsulfur,n which is used for some insecticides and fungicides, matches,n fertilizers, and so forth
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ntar,n which is used for roofing
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asphalt,n which is used to form some forms of concrete and for paving roadsn
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npetroleumn coke, which is used to make some kinds of electrodes
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npetrochemicals,n which are used to make synthetic rubber, dyes, detergents, ammonia,n and a variety of solvents
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npetroleumn by-products, which are used to make linoleum, perfume, petroleumn jelly, soap, vitamin capsules, pantyhose, paint, lipstick, showern curtains, safety glasses, shampoo, crayons, aspirin, and on and on and on…
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nplastic,n which is used to make…almost anything!
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| Oil spills and other forms of water pollution can result from drilling for petroleum! |
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nThenworst thing about petroleum is that burning the various fuels madenfrom it causes pollution and greenhouse gases that increase globalnwarming. We need to be really smart about how we solve thesenproblems, and how we replace our dependence on fossil fuels, as well!
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nAlsonon this date:
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National Revival Day in Azerbaijan
National Revival Day in Azerbaijan n
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nMalabonFestival
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nElephantnround-up in Surin
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nHomemadenBread Day
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nMathematiciannA. F. Mobius’s birthday
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nNationalnUnfriend Day
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nAnniversarynof Lewis and Clark reaching the “Ocian”
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Plannahead:
Plannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nNovembern holidays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in November
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in December
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