Unit 25 Fossil fuels

Suggested answers to in-text activities

Discussion (page 67)

1 Uses of coal:

• electricity generation;

• steel making - a blast furnace uses iron ore, coke (made from coal), and limestone;

• cement making - cement is made from a mixture of limestone, silica, iron oxide and
alumina; coal is an important source for the energy required in the cement industry.

Uses of petroleum:

• as fuels for transportation;

• as fuels for heating and energy production;

• as raw materials in the petrochemical industry.

Uses of natural gas:

• as a fuel for powering boilers that create heat for homes and office buildings in
temperature climates;

• as a fuel for cooking;

• electricity generation - natural gas has become a very popular fuel for electricity
generation
because of its clean burning nature;

• as a feedstock for the manufacture of other chemicals, such as propane and butane.

2 This question helps to sensitize students awareness of the importance of fossil fuels in
their
daily lives.
Shares of world coal, petroleum and natural gas consumption (2001)

Internet Search and Presentation (page 73)

Major uses of petroleum fractions

Petroleum fractions fall into 3 major categories:

• fuels such as petrol and diesel fuel;

• non-fuel products such as solvents and lubricating oils;

• feedstocks for the petrochemical industry such as naphtha and various refinery gases.

Petrol

The leading fuel, petrol, accounts for 25% of the total petroleum consumption. Other petroleum
fuels include distillate fuel oil (diesel fuel and heating oil), liquefied petroleum gases, jet fuel,
residual fuel oil, kerosene, aviation gasoline and petroleum coke.

Distillate fuel oil

Distillate fuel oil includes diesel oil, heating oils and industrial oils. It is used to power diesel
engines in buses, trucks, trains, automobiles and other machinery. It is also used to heat
residential and commercial buildings and to fire industrial and electric utility boilers.

Liquefied petroleum gases

Liquefied petroleum gases are used as inputs (feedstocks) for petrochemical production
processes. This is their major non-fuel use. They are also used as fuel for domestic heating and
cooking, farming operations, and as an alternative to gasoline for use in internal combustion
engines.

Jet fuel

Most jet fuel is a kerosene-based fuel primarily used in commercial airlines. It requires a higher
temperature to ignite and is safer for commercial use than naphtha-based fuel.

Kerosene

Kerosene is used for residential and commercial space heating. It is also used in water heaters,
as a cooking fuel and in lamps.

Non-fuel products

Non-fuel use of petroleum is small compared with fuel use. A partial list of non-fuel uses for
petroleum includes:

• solvents such as those used in paints, lacquers and printing inks;

• lubricating oils and greases for automobile engines and other machinery;

• petroleum (or paraffin) wax used in candy making, packaging, candles, matches and polishes;
 • petrolatum (petroleum jelly) sometimes blended with paraffin wax in medical products and
toiletries;

• bitumen used to pave roads and airfields, to surface canals and reservoirs, and to make
roofing
materials and floor coverings;

• petroleum coke used as a raw material for many carbon and graphite products, including
furnace electrodes and liners, and the anodes used in the production of aluminum.

Petrochemical feedstocks

Petroleum feedstocks have been used in the commercial production of petrochemicals since
the 1920s. Petrochemical feedstocks are converted to basic chemical building blocks and
intermediates used to produce plastics, synthetic rubber, synthetic fibers, drugs and detergents.
Naphtha is a basic feedstock.

Discussion (page 75)

To prevent excessive vaporization of petrol when it is used in car engines in hot regions, it
must contain more hydrocarbons with a greater number of carbon atoms in their molecules. By
contrast, to ensure adequate vaporization at low temperatures, petrol shipped to cold regions
should contain more hydrocarbons with a smaller number of carbon atoms in their molecules.

Petrol for Number of carbon Ease of evaporation Viscosity

atoms per molecule
of hydrocarbons
Alaska in winter Smaller Easy to evaporate Easy to flow
Summer in Hong Kong Greater Less easy to evaporate Less easy to flow

Suggested answers to exercise

1 Coal, petroleum and natural gas

2 Petroleum is formed from plants and small marine animals that lived millions of years ago.
When they died, their bodies sank to the bottom of the sea and were covered by thick
layers
of sand and mud. The combined effect of heat, pressure (from overlying layers) and
bacterial action gradually changed the dead remains of plants and animals into petroleum.

3
 4
Boiling point range (°C) Name of fraction Use
<40 Refinery gas As gaseous fuel
40 – 170 Petrol As fuel for cars
Naphtha Manufacturing town gas
170 – 250 Kerosene As fuel for aircraft / domestic fuel
250 – 350 Diesel oil As fuel for heavy vehicles / factories
>350 Fuel oil As fuel for ships / power stations

5 • As fuels for transportation

• As fuels for heating and energy production
• As raw materials in the petrochemical industry

6 D

7 C

8 D

9 B Household bleach is made by reacting chlorine with sodium hydroxide solution.

10 B (2) Petroleum is seldom used as a fuel directly because it burns with difficulty and
gives a lot of black smoke.
 11 a) Petroleum fractions are used as raw materials to produce different
chemicals in the
petrochemical industry. These chemicals can be made into many useful products, such
as plastics and detergents.

b) By fractional distillation

c) i) To avoid spilling if the apparatus is mishandled during assembly.

ii) To condense the various fractions obtained in the process.

iii) To measure the boiling point of the fraction coming out.

d) i) Fraction I

ii) Fraction IV

iii) Fraction I

iv) Fraction IV

12 a) Fractional distillation

b) A - refinery gases
B - petrol
C - kerosene
D - diesel oil

c) A - as gaseous fuel
B - as fuel for cars
C - as fuel for aircraft / domestic fuel
D - as fuel for heavy vehicles / factories

d) Colour; ease of evaporation; viscosity; flammability; colour and sootiness of

flame

e) Hydrocarbons in the different fractions contain different number of carbon

atoms in the
molecules.