[TheForge] crude oil ( was Re: OT: several questions and thoughts )

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

comments intermixed below.

On Fri, 3 Feb 2006, Darrell wrote:

>
> Why is it that every time "oil" is discussed everyone thinks gas and diesel.
> Gas is the waste byproduct of the oil industry. It takes more crude oil to
> make the plastic container than it does to make the quart of oil that goes
> in it.
>

i really need to ask where you are getting that information.

crude oil is a mixture of many different hydrocarbons and impurities.
the fractional distillation of crude oil separates those hydrocarbons
into various groups.

please refer to the below url for further information:

Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/onlcourse/chm110/outlines/distill.html

depending on the needs and the season the heavier hydrocarbons will be
'cracked'[1] or the lighter hydrocarbons will be polymerized[2]

[1] the larger hydrocarbon molescules are broken into smaller
     hydrocarbon molecules
[2] the smaller hydrocarbon molescules are combined the form larger
     hydrocarbons molecules

further, most plastics produced now days are recyclable. therefore, the
plastic container produced to hold the quart/liter of lubricating oil
will probably be made from recycled plastic.

>
> If you suddenly came up with something that would run our cars and trucks
> that didn't come from the oil industry and only cost ten cents a gallon it
> would hardly make a dent in our need for oil.
>

that is not true. the current oil refinery best practises are requiring
50% of each barrel of crude oil be gasoline. this is achived by cracking
the heavier by-products of the fractional distillation of crude oil into
gasoline and home heating fuels. it could also be achived by the
polymerization of the lighter hydrocarbon by-products but this is rarely
done.

>
> What is really needed is a new source for chemicals and plastics.
>

go back to using glass containers. i remember when service
stations received barrels of oil and pumped/poured the oil into glass
bottles. i have a few in my garage that belonged to my grandfather.

i remember when soda bottles were glass and had a deposit of 0.02
us cents on them and large bottles had a nickel deposit on them.

i also remember when milk came in glass quart bottles.

what really needs to be done is ban the automobile. it is total and
utter insanity that hundreds of thousands of workers commute to and from
work by themselves in such a resource hungry mode of transportation.

the north american public transportation system is a disgrace.

the american love affair with the automobile must come to an end.

>
> Darrell
>

-- 
terry l. ridder ><>