“It took the Earth Thousand of Millions of years to clean itself, process and hide garbage that was initially on its surface. Now man is digging it all out again.”
Fossil Fuel Facts
Fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources that were formed over millions of years from dead, organic matter placed under intense pressure and heat. The high amount of carbon in the fossil fuels helps them store energy.
Types
The most common fossil fuels include oil, natural gas and coal. Byproducts of natural gas, including butane, propane and ethane, are also fossil fuels.
Function
Fossil fuels release a significant amount of thermal energy when burned; this energy can then be used to generate electricity or power machines.
Size
According to the Department of Energy, fossil fuels make up about 85 percent of the energy used in the United States.
Potential
The Department of Energy expects fossil fuel use to continue to grow over the next 20 years due to alternative energy sources' inability to meet the growing global demand for energy.
Considerations
Even though fossil fuels are relatively inexpensive, the environmental cost is great; the release of greenhouse gases and acid rain has been proven to be detrimental to the atmosphere.
Read more: Fossil Fuel Facts
eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5457650_fossil-fuel.html#ixzz0vxq747he
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