Since we use oil and its byproducts in so many applications, from plastics to pesticides, to cosmetics and fuel, how can such diverse source material be the go-to option for making stuff (other than fossil fuel industry lobbying)?
In: Chemistry
Because it is made of hydrocarbons.
Going by the total number of different molecules it can be part of, Carbon is the most reactive element. More than the rest of the periodic table combined.
This means that you can make a lot of things out of carbon, such as the examples you listed. Oil is therefore used because it is a ready source of large quantities of carbon.
While there are other sources, the simple fact is the industry is already set up for fossil fuel exploitation.
Oil and coal were created during a period of history before bacteria had evolved to break down dead animal and plant matter. Instead they got crushed under the Earth into a kind of carbon-rich soup. There is only a finite amount of this stuff, because now when algae, plankton, or just about anything dies, bacteria will consume the remains and they don’t stick around long enough to be turned into oil or coal. It’s special because it’s energy rich, and because it’s relatively cheap and simple to release that energy.
Latest Answers