First of all, let me explain that what fuel is. Actually, fuel is a chemical thing which uses for transportation, heating, cooking and generate electrical energy. It is a means of storing energy which can be released when needed and the amount of energy can be store in a given mass or volume of fuel which called energy density. Furthermore, fuel is derived from cruel oil, crude oil is a black, viscous and with foul-smelling liquid. It is composed by about 100 different types of hydro-carbon molecules. Besides that, the boiling point of the hydro-carbon is increase with the molecular mass.
But we can’t straight away take out petrol from crude oil,(fool also know that lah…@.@) we need some process and machine to aid it. To derived petrol from crude oil, it need to go through a process call fraction distillation which using a gigantic distillation tower. Fractional distillation process allows the separation of crude oil by using the different temperature and molecular mass. For the lowest molecular weight compound, it will collect at the highest column, by the increasing of molecular weight and boiling point; the compound will be collect separate at various stages lower on the column. There are many types of product those in results of fractional distillation and different in functions:
Based on research, most of the barrels of crude oil are converted into fuels. About 40% are converted into gasoline, which also known as petrol; 30% - 35% will converted into fuel oil for heating; 7% - 10% for jet fuel and 5% are for petrochemical industry which for produce drug and plastic. Moreover, the left will be converted into lubricating oil, greases, and liquefied petroleum gas and so on.
Petrol is derived from crude oil, and then crude oils are derived from the natural resources in the earth! Then why our petrol is becoming expensive and more?(WHY???) That is because the crude oils are become lesser and lesser! Based on our knowledge, crude oil is non-renewable sources thus once it have been derived completely, there are no crude oils in this earth anymore! So, when the crude oils become less and less, the price of product of crude oil will become higher and higher just like petrol. In addition, the forming of crude oil is within a long period, which more than million years, therefore crude oil will become more rarity. To face the exhausting of crude oil, scientists are trying to find out the other materials that can replace crude oils. Furthermore, reduce the price of fuel also. (So what are those???)
In this era, many types of chemical materials had been invented; one of it is ethanol fuel.(Ethanol not just use for cooking only meh? can use as fuel also oh?) Ethanol fuel is ethanol, which also defines as ethyl alcohol; it is under the group of alcohol. In chemistry, alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl group (-OH) is bound to a carbon atom. The general formula for alcohol is CnH2n+1OH. Moreover, alcohol can be divided into 3 major subsets, which is primary, secondary and tertiary, and it is based on the number of carbon atom is bonded to. Back to ethanol, C2H5OH, it is a colorless and volatile liquid, besides that ethanol also a saturated alcohol. Use ethanol as a fuel is actually begun from Brazil and later on ethanol fuel is oxygenate to gasoline in United States. Ethanol fuel is easy to manufacture and process, it can be derived from very common crops such as sugar cane and corn then by using fermentation process. In sugar cane contains glucose, which created by plant through photosynthesis:
6CO2 + 6H2O + light → C6H12O6 + 6O2
Then, during the fermentation process, glucose is decomposed into ethanol and carbon dioxide:
C6H12O6 → 2C2H5OH+ 2CO2 + heat
Furthermore, when ethanol in vehicles, the combustion reaction will make a reaction between oxygen and ethanol then produce water and heat:
C2H6O + 3O2 → 2CO2 + 3H2O + heat
The heat will help to generate the engine while water will discarded as waste product. In fact, the waste products of ethanol fuel are more harmless then carbon monoxide which discard as petrol waste product. Carbon monoxide will pollute the air and also affecting human healthy. In addition, ethanol fuel are more cheaper then petrol fuel because ethanol is a renewable resources, and sugar cane are plant in large amount in Brazil and Japan, in fact the prices of ethanol will become cheaper. Thus, using ethanol fuel is more and better then petrol. ( But why Malaysia still haven’t have this kind of technology? T.T )
Beside ethanol fuel, hydrogen also another type fuel that can use as car fuel . Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and high flammable diatomic gas with the molecular formula H2 with a hydrogen bond, it also a chemical element with atomic number 1 and represented by a symbol H. Moreover, hydrogen is very electropositive so that it can combine with all elements just except noble gasses. There have various type to produce hydrogen:
In laboratory, Hydrogen usually is prepare by reaction between acid or bases on metal with Kipp’s apparatus:
2 Al + 6 H2O + 2 OH-→ 2 Al(OH)4- + 3 H2
Electrolysis of water also a method to produce hydrogen . When a low voltage current pass through the water, oxygen gasses will form at anode while hydrogen gasses will form at cathode:
2H2O(aq) → 2H2(g) + O2(g)
Normally, hydrogen are prepare in the most economically ways which remove hydrogen from hydrocarbon. Commercial bulk hydrogen is usually produce by the steam reforming of natural gas. At high temperatures (700–1100 °C; 1,300–2,000 °F), steam (water vapor) reacts with methane to yield carbon monoxide and H2:
CH4 + H2O → CO+ 3 H2
Other important methods for H2 production include partial oxidation of hydrocarbons:
2 CH4 + O2 → 2 CO + 4 H2
There is much type of ways to produce hydrogen, if want the price of hydrogen fuel in cheaper than the cheaper and most easy process must be taken. ( every one also hope to get the cheapest fuel lah…:p)Lastly, hope the price of petrol can be reduced or other type of fuel can be promote to all Malaysia citizen. No need worry more and stress more about the price of fuel. (Hope…..)
An interesting introduction to the focus of your blog post. Good work! Fulfills the assignment requirements.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really well written blog, the introduction caused me to become interested and the chemistry behind your blog became easy to read (from the simple intro). Hoping you write some more blogs :)
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