Petroleum properties
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How is petroleum formed...
Petroleum
Petroleum, (from Greek πέτρα - rock and έλαιο - oil) also called crude oil, is a thick and blackliquid. It is a natural material mainly made of hydrocarbons.
The hydrocarbons come from many billions of ancient phytoplankton. When they die, their bodies sink to the bottom. This formed basins of oil in many parts of the world.
Most petroleum is found by drilling down through rocks on land or off-shore on the continental shelf.
Refining of petroleum
Major producers are in the Middle East, the Americas, and Russia. It is the most important world fuel source. It supplies 38% of the world's energy and is also used to make petrochemicals.
Crude oil is a mixture of many different chemicals (mostly hydrocarbons), most of which burn well.
How is petroleum extracted
It is separated into simpler, more useful mixtures by fractional distillation in oil refineries to give separate chemicals such as gasoline (or petrol) for cars, kerosene for airplanes and bitumen for roads. The bitumen gives crude oil its dark black color; most of the other chemicals in crude are slightly yellow or colorless.
Petroleum can be easily
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