Fossil_Fuels

Fossil Fuels We get energy from sunlight, wind, nuclear plants, and damns… However, most of the energy that we use comes from fossil fuels. There are three major fossil fuels: Coal, oil and natural gas. These are composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. Carbon is the major element in fossil fuels. We obtain energy from fossil fuels by burning them. Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in the U.S. Yet it has a major disadvantage. It is a strong pollutant. When it is burned, it releases impurities like nitrogen and sulfur, which combine with water vapor to create “acid rain”. Also, coal is a major contributor to the imbalance of the carbon cycle. When coal burns, it forms carbon dioxide. Scientists believe that carbon dioxide traps the earth’s heat in a process called the “greenhouse effect”. However, scientists have developed new methods to burn coal more efficiently, filter impurities before they are released in the atmosphere, and cut down on the release of carbon dioxide. Oil is another important fossil fuel. It is found under tons of rock, deep in the earth’s crust. Precisely, oil is found in rocks, trapped in little pores. When an oil well is dug oil, gas, natural, fossil, ethanol, fuels, fuel, carbon, coal, scientists, major, however, energy, impurities, found, dioxide, yet, very, sulfur, run, reservoirs, pressure, precisely, out, nitrogen, little, gasohol, future, enough, earth’s, countries, burns, ÿ, ½, worthless, wind