Coal and Petroleum

Coal and Petroleum

​Fossil Fuels

​Exhaustible natural resources like coal, petroleum, and natural gas were formed from the dead remains of living organisms (fossils). So, these are all known as fossil fuels.

Open Ended

Define Fossil Fuels

​Coal

• It is as hard as stone and is black in colour.

• ​Coal is one of the fuels used to cook food. Earlier, it was used in railway engines to produce steam to run the engine.

• ​It is also used in thermal power plants to produce electricity. Coal is also used as a fuel in various industries.

​Formation of Coal

​About 300 million years ago the earth had dense forests in low-lying wetland areas. Due to natural processes, like flooding, these forests got buried under the soil. As more soil was deposited over them, they were compressed. The temperature also rose as they sank deeper and deeper. Under high pressure and high temperature, dead plants got slowly converted to coal. As coal contains mainly carbon, the slow process of conversion of dead vegetation into coal is called carbonization. Since it was formed from the remains of vegetation, coal is also called a fossil fuel.

Multiple Choice

The temperature also -------------- as they sank deeper and deeper.

• Decreases

• Increases

• No Change

• Cann't say

Poll

Under -------------------------dead plants got slowly converted to coal.

• High pressure

• High Temperature

• High pressure and high temperature

• High tension

Open Ended

What is carbonization?

Poll

Why that process is called carbonization?

• Coal contains mainly carbon

• It is the process of synthesizing Carbon

​Coal

• ​When heated in the air, coal burns and produces mainly carbon dioxide gas.

• ​Coal is processed in the industry to get some useful products such as coke, coal tar, and coal gas.

Multiple Choice

On the burning process of Coal, which gas is produced mainly?

• Carbon 

• Hydrogen

• Oxygen

• Carbon dioxide