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Petroleum products are materials derived from crude oil as it is processed in oil refineries. Unlike petrochemicals, which are a collection of well-defined usually pure organic compounds, petroleum products are complex mixtures. [1] Most petroleum is converted into petroleum products, which include several classes of fuels. [2]
Petroleum refinery in Anacortes, Washington, United States. Petroleum refining processes are the chemical engineering processes and other facilities used in petroleum refineries (also referred to as oil refineries) to transform crude oil into useful products such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline or petrol, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel oil and fuel oils.
A shale gas well being drilled by a drilling rig in Pennsylvania. Produced water is a term used in the oil industry or geothermal industry to describe water that is produced as a byproduct during the extraction of oil and natural gas, [1] or used as a medium for heat extraction.
One of the first chemicals to be produced in large amounts through industrial processes was sulfuric acid. In 1736 pharmacist Joshua Ward developed a process for its production that involved heating sulfur with saltpeter, allowing the sulfur to oxidize and combine with water. It was the first practical production of sulphuric acid on a large scale.
Greenpeace called the announcement "the end of one toxic era". [39] However, leaded gasoline continues to be used in aeronautic, auto racing, and off-road applications. [ 40 ] The use of leaded additives is still permitted worldwide for the formulation of some grades of aviation gasoline such as 100LL , because the required octane rating is ...
Some petroleum industry operations have been responsible for water pollution through by-products of refining and oil spills. Though hydraulic fracturing has significantly increased natural gas extraction, there is some belief and evidence to support that consumable water has seen increased in methane contamination due to this gas extraction. [39]
In a 2018 report by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, they indicate that petroleum refinery workers have a significantly lower rate of occupational injury (0.4 OSHA-recordable cases per 100 full-time workers) than all industries (3.1 cases), oil and gas extraction (0.8 cases), and petroleum manufacturing in general (1.3 cases). [126]
Petroleum fuels, when burnt, release carbon dioxide that is necessary for plant growth, but which (given the large scale of global emissions) is potentially harmful to world climate. The amount of carbon dioxide released when one liter of fuel is combusted can be estimated: [1] As a good approximation the chemical formula of e.g. diesel is C n ...