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With gas prices soaring, we thought we
would find out the real deal about petroleum, the source of the fuel
that powers millions of cars everyday. We found that the same stuff
that runs our cars is used to make petroleum jelly... and soda
bottles. According to the American Petroleum Industry, "New
petrochemical products could become more costly than recycled
materials–and the plastic in today's landfills could become a
valuable commodity."
Petroleum literally means rock oil; oil
that comes from rock. Petroleum is formed from organic matter
(plants, animals and microbes) that is buried deep below the earth's
surface. Over long periods of time the organic material is
transformed by heat and pressure into crude oil.
Oil wells are drilled as deep as six
miles into the Earth to search for petroleum. These wells can cost
millions of dollars to drill, yet drilling is done because petroleum
is a valuable natural resource.
In the past three years, about 63% of the
oil consumed by the Unites States has come from imports:
Petroleum is used to make hundreds of
products.
Although the major use of petroleum is for fuel, (gasoline, jet
fuel, heating oil), and petroleum and natural gas are often used to
generate electricity, there are many other uses. All plastic is made
from petroleum and plastic is used almost everywhere: in cars,
houses, toys, computers and clothing. Asphalt used in road
construction is a petroleum product as is the synthetic rubber in
the tires. Paraffin wax comes from petroleum, as do fertilizer,
pesticides, herbicides, detergents, phonograph records, photographic
film, furniture, packaging materials, surfboards, paints, and
artificial fibers used in clothing, upholstery, and carpet backing.
Problems with Petroleum
Oil spills can kill plants and animals and soil beaches. People
often dump used oil from vehicle engines onto the ground or into
open drains instead of taking it to a
recycling center. Plastic objects and containers are thrown
away, but the plastic does not decay quickly. Burning fossil fuels
(gasoline, heating oil, kerosene, natural gas and coal) produces the
gas carbon dioxide (CO2) as a by-product. Some scientists theorize
that adding excess CO2 levels to the atmosphere could cause global
warming.
What Can Each of Us Do to Reduce our
Dependency on Petroleum?
Visit our website to find out how to recycle the following petroleum
products in central Virginia:
motor oils,
plastic bottles,
tires
Besides recycling, there are other ways
that we can conserve petroleum and gasoline (and save money!).
- Buy fuel efficient vehicles (including smaller vehicles, or ones
with hybrid technology that capture the energy created from the
friction between the tires and the road, so you don’t have to plug
them in)
- Carpool
- Keep tires inflated and replace oil filters regularly
- Use the car's air conditioning selectively
- Observe posted speed limits
- Accelerate smoothly and brake gradually
- Minimize the amount of time your car idles (consider parking at
the bank instead of waiting in line at the drive through).
All Rights Reserved ©2002 The Environmental Literacy Council
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
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Vote for your favorite fashion design, created by area children for
Radio Disney Richmond's local pop stars, RD Frequency, out of
recycled, reused or organic materials. 