Advances in Chemical Engineering & Technology

Coal and Natural Gas

Crude oil, coal and natural gas formed from the prehistoric matter of plants, animals, zooplankton and other life that was buried sometimes miles deep inside the Earth and subjected to high temperatures and high pressure over millions of years. These three so-called fossil fuels include a wide assortment of carbon-based substances.

Humans have known about petroleum, or crude oil, from centuries, but the substance wasn’t considered terribly interesting until the mid-1800s, when it was distilled into kerosene and found to be a good, cheap alternative to burning whale oil in oil lamps. At that time, only the wealthiest could afford whale oil, which was preferred over candles or animal fats. Americans and others worldwide quickly adopted petroleum and learned to make an unending stream of useful products from it. Simultaneously, a worldwide obsession with striking oil was born.

Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in the world, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It’s cheap, readily mined domestically and generated almost half of all electricity in the country in 2009 as well as more than 40 % of electricity produced globally. Though American coal is a domestic affair we don’t need to import it the fuel has caused substantial air pollution, as well as ground and surface water pollution from mercury and acid rain. Coal is also the source of countless mining and steady supply of greenhouse gases.

The artificial intelligence (AI) market is expected to be worth USD 16.06 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 62.9% between 2016 and 2022. The major drivers for the growth are increasingly large and complex datasets and Growing number of AI applications in various end-user industries. Moreover, the increasing adoption of AI-enabled products and software tools to improve consumer services further accelerate its market growth.