The six Main uses of oil Are: transportation, industrial energy, heating and lighting, lubricants, use of by-products and the petrochemical industry.
Transport, defense, technology, industry, trade, research and development and many other facets of human activities are directly or indirectly linked to the use of oil or its by-products.
Provides fuel for heat and lighting, lubricants for machinery and raw materials for a number of manufacturing industries (US energy information administration, 2016).
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Main uses of oil
1- Transportation
The transport can be of merchandise and products
The entire transportation system in the world depends on oil. Gasoline and diesel are the main sources of energy for all types of modern transport vehicles.
2- Industrial Power
Oil is the main source of industrial energy. Diesel and gasoline are used in gas turbines to produce electricity.
3- Heating and lighting
Heavier oils are used in central heating plants for shops, offices and homes.
Oil is also used to produce electricity for industrial and domestic use. Lighter grades of oil, such as"kerosene", are still used for domestic purposes.
4- Lubricants
Lubricants are very useful for all types of machines, especially for machines used in transportation and industries.
All types of lubricants and greases are produced from petroleum. Vehicles of all types and the wide range of sophisticated machinery in use in factories and offices depend on lubricants and grind to a stop if they were not available.
Figure 4: lubricant made from petroleum.
5- Use of by-products
Crude oil is a mixture of carbon, hydrogen, impurities and few other components.
The refining process separates several hydrocarbon fractions and several by-products have been produced (Chand, 2016).
Other Uses of Oil
When most people think of oil, it comes to mind gasoline and diesel fuel.
They may even conjure up images of jet fuel, but will rarely consider the other unexpected places that oil byproducts appear in modern life.
Because crude oil contains a large amount of different hydrocarbons, several refined products have found their way in many areas, from plastics to pharmaceuticals (Petroleum.co.uk, 2015).
farming
One of the most important uses of oil is in the production of ammonia which is used as a source of nitrogen in agricultural fertilizers.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Fritz Haber invented a process that allowed the production on an industrial scale of ammonia.
Before that, ammonia for fertilizer came only from manure and other biological processes.
Plastic
Plastic is a basic element of modern life. From computer monitors to polystyrene foam, plastics are integral aspects of many manufactured products.
Polystyrene, from which polystyrene foam is made, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), both products of post-World War II industrialization.
Nylon, which can be found in stockings to mechanical gears and even in automobile engines, is the most successful petroleum plastic to date. Most plastics come from olefins, which include ethylene and propylene.
Tires
The tires are made of rubber. Up to 1910 all rubber was produced from natural elastomers obtained from plants.
The need for synthetic rubber was relatively small until the Second World War , Resulting in natural rubber embargoes from South America and the need to produce synthetic rubber on a large scale. Rubber is mainly a product of butadiene.
Pharmaceutical products
Mineral oil and petrolatum are petroleum by-products used in many topical creams and pharmaceuticals.
Tar, which is used for psoriasis and dandruff, is also produced from petroleum.
Most drugs are complex organic molecules, which are based on smaller, simpler organic molecules. Most of these precursors are petroleum byproducts.
Dyes, detergents and others
Petroleum distillates such as benzene, toluene, xylene and others provide the raw material for products including colorants, synthetic detergents and fabrics.
Benzene and toluene are the starting materials used to manufacture polyurethanes, which are used in surfactants, oils and even to varnish wood.
Even the sulfuric acid Has its origin in the sulfur that is eliminated from the oil.
Partial list of unexpected products made or containing oil
Ink.
Upholstery.
CDs.
Vitamin Capsule.
Adhesive for dentures.
Putty.
Guitar strings.
Cardiac valves.
Anesthetics.
Cortisone.
Toilet seats.
Color pencils.
Pillows.
Artificial grass.
Deodorant.
Lipstick.
Hair color.
Aspirin.
You may be interested 10 everyday products derived from petroleum .
More information about oil
He Petroleum Is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons produced on Earth in liquid, gaseous or solid form.
The term is often limited to the liquid form, commonly called crude oil, but as a technical term it also includes natural gas and the viscous or solid form known as bitumen, found in tar sands.
The liquid and gaseous phases of petroleum are the most important of primary fossil fuels (Gordon I. Atwater, 2016).
A thick, flammable, yellow to black mixture of gaseous, liquid and solid hydrocarbons naturally occurring beneath the surface of the earth.
It can be separated into fractions that include natural gas, gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, fuel and lubricating oils, paraffin wax, and asphalt.
It is also used as a raw material for a wide variety of by-products (American Association of Petroleum Geologists, S.F.).
Oil was formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms, such as plants, algae and bacteria.
Throughout millions of years of intense heat and pressure, these organic remains (fossils) are transformed into carbon-rich substances in which we count as raw materials for fuel and a wide variety of products (National Geographic Society, S.F.).
Oil, today, is a major source of energy in the world. This is also due to its multiple usability in different fields of machine civilization.
Every aspect of man's everyday life is somehow influenced by the use of oil (Petroleum.co.uk, 2015).
References
- American Association of Petroleum Geologists. (S.F.). What Is Petroleum? Retrieved from org: aapg.org.
- Chand, S. (2016). Uses of Petroleum: 6 Main Uses of Petroleum - Discussed! Retrieved from yourarticlelibrary: yourarticlelibrary.com.
- Gordon I. Atwater, J. P. (2016, December 2). Petroleum. Recovered from britannica: britannica.com.
- National Geographic Society. (S.F.). Petroleum. Retrieved from nationalgeographic: nationalgeographic.org.
- Co.uk. (2015). An introduction to Petroleum. Retrieved from petroleum.co.uk.
- Co.uk. (2015). Other Uses of Petroleum. Retrieved from petroleum.co.uk.
- US energy information administration. (2016, November 28). Use of Oil. Retrieved from gov: eia.gov.