 "A fossil
fuel is
a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing
material formed naturally in the Earth's
crust from
the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals,
plants or microplanktons),
a process that occurs within geological
formations.
Reservoirs of such compound mixtures, such as coal, petroleum and natural
gas,
can be extracted and burnt as fuel for human consumption to
provide energy for direct use (such as for cooking, heating
or lighting), to power heat
engines (such
as steam or internal combustion engines) that can propel
vehicles, or to generate electricity via steam
turbine generators. Some
fossil fuels are further refined into
derivatives such as kerosene, gasoline and diesel,
or converted into petrochemicals such
as polyolefins (plastics), aromatics and synthetic
resins."
Source
Wikipedia |
