Chapter 15, Problem 1TYC

To determine

To explain: The reason behind the fossil fuels being the most prevalent source of energy, the formation of fossil fuels and the reason behind considering the fossil fuels as nonrenewable.

Answer to Problem 1TYC

As the fossil fuels are the highly combustible compounds which are formed from the organic matter which buried thousands of years ago, they store a large amount of energy. Even small quantity of fossil fuels produces a large amount of energy. Thus, the production of fossil fuels requires a lot of time and is considered as nonrenewable.

The production of fossil fuels requires specific environmental condition such as anaerobic conditions, pressure, temperature, and time; these are formed in specific location. The buried trees, phytoplankton, and zooplanktons undergo anaerobic decomposition which leads to the formation of kerogen. The pressure and heat alter the kerogen. The fossil fuels are formed by the decomposition of organic matter in absence of oxygen.

Explanation of Solution

The ultimate source of energy for all the living beings present on Earth is Sun. The solar radiation of the sun drives the water cycle, wind, photosynthesis and plants’ growth. The plants provide woods and biomass. The plants and organisms die, they get buried inside the sediments and their chemical energy is converted to fossil fuels.

The fossil fuels are the highly combustible compounds, which are formed by the burying of the dead organisms. The synthesis of fossil fuel takes thousands to millions of years. The reason behind the fossils being most prevalent source of energy is that they store a high amount of energy in them, which makes them efficient in burning, storing and shipping.

The fossil fuels are formed when the trees fell into the lakes or swamps and get buried inside the sediments or when the zooplanktons and the phytoplankton move to the floor of the oceans and get buried. The organic matter in the phytoplankton, zooplankton and the plants decompose in the anaerobic condition under the sediments, which leads to the formation of kerogen.

The fossil fuel formation requires certain specific environmental condition such as the anaerobic condition. Such kinds of conditions are present only in shallow seas, swamps, and lakes. The conversion of the organic matter to coal, crude oil, or natural gas depends on the chemical composition of matter, temperature, time, and presence, or absence of anaerobic decomposers.

When there occurs little decomposition of the organic matter because of the tight packing, coal is formed. The natural gas and crude oil are formed in the porous rock layers beneath the impervious layer and are formed because of the geothermal heating.

There are three different forms of fossil fuels which are utilized by humans, namely coal, oil and natural gas. These are produced from natural process and their production takes a very long time and once they will get depleted then, they will not be replaced within stipulated time period. To produce one gallon of natural oil, the biosphere takes thousands of years.