Petroleum and its derivatives

How petroleum is formed

petroleum composition

Petroleum is formed as a result of a compression process that occurs under moderate conditions of temperature and pressure, when organic water deposits that are saturated with water and rich in minerals, which include: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, are deposited. pressure, and bacterial action during the burial process, thus forming new structures, including a waxy substance called kerogen, and a black tar-like substance called bitumen.

Kerogen is converted into petroleum and natural gas, in a process called cracking or catagenesis. With increasing temperatures and pressure, materials are buried at a greater depth, and the cracking process begins, which is the pyrolysis of kerogen, to form hydrocarbon chains. The cracking process is stimulated by the minerals that are deposited, and the high temperature and pressure lead to the gradual cracking of kerogen and small and light hydrocarbons, and oil is formed.

Petroleum components

Petroleum or oil is chemically composed of hydrocarbons, which mainly consist of hydrogen by about 13%, carbon by about 85%, and other elements can also be mixed, such as: nitrogen by about 0.5%, sulfur by 0.5%, oxygen by 1%, and metals , such as: iron, nickel, and copper at a rate of less than 0.1%, with hydrocarbons in small quantities, and the molecules that make up the hydrocarbon are organized as a result of the original composition of algae, plants, or plankton millions of years ago, and the amount of heat and pressure that plants were exposed to also contributes to the differences in hydrocarbons, and crude oil.

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petroleum

Petroleum is a complex mixture, as it combines a group of organic liquids and gases that were formed after the kerogen heating process and pressure for long periods of time, but natural gas and methane are the main gaseous components in petroleum, while the liquid component is oil, which is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons.

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