Page 135 - SST Class 08

Peat has the highest content of Major oil-producing countries of the world are
water and is the lowest quality Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the UAE.
of coal. It gives a lot of smoke Nearly two-thirds of the total reserves are located
on burning. It comprises 50-60 in the region around the Persian Gulf in south-
percent carbon content and western Asia. They account for 75 percent of oil
represents the first stage of coal exports. The US has large reserves of oil. Russia
formation. A coal mine and China are self-sufficient in their needs of oil.
Other oil-producing countries are Venezuela,
Lignite (brown coal) has 60-70 percent carbon
content and constitutes about 80 percent of the Libya, Algeria and Indonesia.
total coal available in the world.
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Bituminous (black coal) has 70-90 percent carbon
content.
Rocks are natural substances which are
Anthracite has over 90 carbon content and is the combinations of one or more minerals in varying
best quality coal. quantities.

The world’s largest coal reserves are found in Natural Gas
Russia. It has more than one-third of the total Natural gas is the cleanest and the most eco-
world reserves of coal. The US has one-fourth of
friendly source of energy as it has low carbon
the world reserves. China, Australia, parts of dioxide emissions. It is formed in the same
western Europe, South Africa and India, together geological conditions as petroleum. Some wells
with Russia and the US, share 90 percent of the
yield natural gas in large quantities. This has to be
world’s coal reserves.
purified before it can be used for industrial
Mineral Oil purposes. It mainly contains methane and butane
gas. It is used for domestic purposes as LPG
Mineral oil or petroleum is found in underground
(Liquefied Petroleum Gas) or as CNG (Compressed
fields, in sedimentary rocks. It is assumed that
petroleum has been derived from organic plant Natural Gas) for use in transports. It is also used in
and animal life which remained buried in large fertiliser industry as a raw material. It is often less
expensive than electricity. The US has the world’s
quantities under the earth in the remote past. The
heat and pressure has changed the organic matter largest reserves of natural gas. Russia and Europe
into mineral oil and gas. are other gas-producing countries.
Just Think!
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Why is natural gas called eco-friendly?
The first mobile platform for extracting petroleum
was used in Mumbai. In India, mineral oil and natural gas have been
found in Assam. Gujarat and Maharashtra are
Crude petroleum is refined to make various
other oil-producing areas. Oil fields are also there
products like petrol, kerosene and diesel. Oil is
necessarily useful for land, in the Gulf of Khambhat and the delta areas of
Godavari and Krishna.
sea and air transports.
Hundreds of by-products Uranium and Thorium
are made from it.
These are hard and dense substances and have
Lubricants, vaseline, tars,
high atomic weight. They are radioactive
ink, medicines, waxes, substances. They are used to produce energy in
terylene and soap are some
nuclear (atomic) plants, but they can present
of them. Oil is used for
Bombay High adverse environmental impact. Disposal of their
generating electricity too.
Minerals and Energy Resources
135