Fossil Fuels: Mathayom 2 (Grade 8)

• The text is about fossil fuels, a unit focused on energy resources
• The content is designed for Mathayom 2 (Grade 8) students

Learning Objectives

• Compare the formation processes and properties of fossil fuels.
• Research and explain uses and impacts of fossil fuels
• Show awareness of the effects of using fossil fuels
• Present suitable ways to use fossil fuels.

Key facts

• Thailand possesses significant energy resources, including:
  • Coal
  • Petroleum
• A barrel has an approximate value of 159 liters
• In the area of fossil fuels, the process of fossilization requires millions of year

Fossil Fuels

• Fossil fuels come from the transformation of dead organisms accumulated and buried under the Earth's surface under suitable conditions for millions of years
• The process of fossil fuel formation depends on these considerations:
  • Original materials
  • Time
  • Temperature
  • Pressure

Coal

• Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock
• It can be brown or black
• Coal properties, it:
  • Is Solid
  • Is combustible
  • Is heat-generating

Coal Formation

• Trees or plants die and accumulate in stagnant water basins
• Sediment gradually accumulates, burying the dead plant matter
• Over time, surface conditions change and more sediment piles up
• Plant debris is subjected to high pressure and temperature for millions of years, transforming it into coal

Types of Coal

• The different types of coal depends on their carbon content
• The different types of coal, ordered from lowest carbon content to highest, and lowest heating value to high heating value:
  • Peat (less than 60% carbon)
  • Lignite (60-70% carbon)
  • Subbituminous (71-77% carbon)
  • Bituminous (77-87% carbon)
  • Anthracite (more than 87% carbon)

Uses of Coal

• Coal is mainly used as fuel
• It is also used in industrial plants and coal-fired power plants, such as the Mae Moh power plant in Lampang Province.

Petroleum

• Petroleum is made up of Hydrocarbons
• Includes the oil and natural gas deposits
• Petroleum forms from the accumulation of small dead plants and animals
• These accumulate together with small sediment particles occur under anaerobic conditions
• They are subjected to pressure and high temperature for the millions of years

Petroleum Formation Process

• Starts with the accumulation of dead plants and animals combined with sediment
• This occurs in an oxygen-deprived environment.
• Over time, the organic material is buried deeper
• It is subjected to increasing pressure and temperature.
• The materials turn into petroleum

Types of Petroleum

• Crude oil: A liquid with a brown to black color
• Natural gas: In its pure form, has no color and no smell
• Petroleum is refined:
  • Crude oil goes to an oil refinery and undergoes fractional distillation.
  • Natural gas goes to a gas separation plant to separate into methane, ethane, propane and butane.

Crude Oil Distillation

• Components with the lowest boiling points condense in the upper layers of the distillation column
• Components with the highest boiling points condense in the lower layers of the distillation column

Natural Gas

• Natural gas separation produces methane, ethane, propane, butane, and byproducts like natural gas liquids, water, mercury, and other substances
• Natural gas separation yields also yields:
  • Methane: Used for power generation
  • Ethane: Used in industrial plants
  • Propane, butane: Used in LPG gas
  • Isobutane: Used in chemicals manufacturing

Comparing Coal and Petroleum

• Coal originates from accumulated plant matter in oxygen-poor water basins under pressure and temperature for millions of years
• Petroleum originates from small dead plants and animals mixed with sediment under pressure and temperature for millions of years in oxygen-poor basins
• Compared to petroleum, coal is a solid in its natural state with a brown to black color and is combustible

Energy Usage in Thailand (2560 BE)

• Natural gas accounts for 42%
• Oil accounts for 38%
• Coal accounts for 18%
• Hydroelectric and imported electricity accounts for 2%

Direct use of fossil fuels includes

• Using gasoline in vehicles for transportation
• Using gasoline in vehicles for agriculture
• Using cooking gas to prepare food
• Using electricity generated by coal and natural gas power plants

Indirect use of fossil fuels includes

• Using various products that are manufactured using electricity, oil, or coal.

Environmental Impacts of Using Fossil Fuels

• Emission of pollutants like NO2, SO2, CO2, and particulate matter
• Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels include:
  • CO2 (76%)
  • CH4 (16%)
  • N2O (6%)
  • Gases containing fluorine (2%)
• The use of energy in Thailand resulted in the release of 21.6 million tons of CO2 in September 2560 BE
  • Electricity production contributes 39%
  • Transportation contributes 27%.
  • Industry contributes 26%
  • Other sectors such as household, commerce and agriculture contributes 8%

Ways to Reduce Fossil Fuel Use

• Reducing the use of gasoline:
  • Check travel routes or plan travel routes beforehand
  • Choose to use public transport
• Reduce use of electricity:
  • Use electrical appliances that have energy saving labels (Energy Saver Label No. 5)
  • Choose electrical equipment that has the appropriate amount of electricity for the application
  • Choose to use LED lamps instead of incandescent lights
  • Switch off and unplug electrical appliances every time after they are not in use

Oil Shale

• Oil shale is a natural fuel formed by the deposition of plants and animals under water sources for a long time
• Is considered a source of petroleum
• Composed of:
  • Decayed plant and animal material
  • Sediment under suitable environmental conditions
• Oil shale is a fine-textured sedimentary rock.

Oil shale extraction

• If oil shale is heated to approximately 500°C, kerogen will decompose.
• The decomposition produces oil and hydrocarbon