Introduction 4 Chapter One Coal 8 Chapter twO Petroleum 17 Chapter three Natural Gas 27 Chapter FOur The Downsides of Fossil Fuels 35 Glossary 42 For More Information 44 Index 47 CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION A fossil fuel is a natural substance substance formed from the buried remains of ancient organisms that can be used as a source of energy Fossil fuels formed over millions of years as heat and pressure from layers of sediment changed the decayed organic remains into materials such as coal and petroleum The energy in fossil fuels is the energy from sunlight stored in the tissues tissues of the buried organisms as a result of photosynthesis Fossil fuels may be solids liquids or gases All fossil fuels are hydrocarbons a class of chemicals composed only of carbon carbon and hydrogen atoms Coal petroleum and natural gas are the most commonly commonly known fossil fuels All fossil fuels can be burned in air or with oxygen derived from air to provide heat This 4
This power plant is burning coal to generate electricity Like natural gas and oil coal is a fossil fuel heat may be employed directly as in the case of home furnaces or used to produce steam to drive generators that can supply electricity In still other cases for example gas turbines used 5
