In the last two decades there has been an increased demand for alternative fuel sources, specifically natural fuels. The reason for this is that the Earth is fast being exhausted of its petroleum resources. Oil reserves are declining at an alarming rate and experts predict that in just under 50 years the supply of conventional oil will be completely exhausted. For this reason as well as other reasons, the government has been promoting the use of alternate fuels.
When it comes to natural gas, the problem with it is that it is a petroleum product which has to be liquefied before it can be utilized. Once it is liquefied it loses its volume and is converted into other products including diesel. Liquefying natural gas also makes it a more costly commodity. This is one of the reasons why there are certain countries around the world that have limited supplies of it. One of the most common forms of these is methane, which although not a fossil fuel, is commonly referred to as a compound similar to buturonic acid.
Natural gas can be liquefied through a process known as cracking or dehydration; this process however is a very expensive one. Another method of liquefying it is by taking air and heating it at around 1000 degrees Celsius below ambient temperatures and then letting it pass through a membrane known as a crackling wheel. In this process, the methane and hydrocarbons that would be released during the combustion process are separated and the solid oil or natural gas is left behind.
There are a number of companies that have made technologies that use hydrocarbon crackling to liquefy oil. Some of the more advanced ones have the ability to produce up to 60% more oil using only a fraction of the time and cost compared to other methods. These technologies are currently being tested in order to be commercially viable. As of the writing of this writing, the US government has been funding research in this area. Hydrogen peroxide is another common compound that is commonly used for crackling and this too may be readily accessible through various means.
Natural oils like petrol and natural diesel are commonly used as additives to gasoline and diesel. Both of them are known to be cleaner burning than alternative hydrocarbons such as coal, natural gas, crude oil, and petroleum diesel. With regard to biofuels like bioethanol, there are certain problems with it. Bioethanol requires an additional processing step after it has been harvested so it is dependent on fossil fuels and is therefore more costly than most alternative fuels.
Hydrocarbons are absorbed into the ground as part of the natural process of crustal movement. There are some areas that hold large amounts of these hydrocarbons. There are a number of technologies that could potentially remove some of these from the ground; this could allow for greater efficiency and therefore, cheaper cost of energy. These would be two of the primary reasons as to why hydrocarbons should be considered as an alternative fuel.
There are some drawbacks to using hydrocarbons as compared to fossil fuels though. Hydrocarbons are not biodegradable and will remain in the earth’s soil for centuries. Hydrocarbons have a lower density than diesel and natural gas; however they do provide a higher initial energy gain. As most of the world’s oil supplies are thought to be depleting, alternatives to using hydrocarbons in place of fossil fuels should be seriously considered.
There are a variety of different ways in which to go about extracting natural fuels from the ground. Some natural gas is extracted by drilling into the earth and then capturing the gas. In the extraction of natural oil, horizontal well drilling is used. Geothermal drilling or geothermic energy is another method that is used to extract natural gas and oil from the earth; this method is used in places where the temperature and other conditions are suitable for the production of natural gas and oil.