By Author: Hope-Elena Sardella
Coal and Oil are two of the most significant driving forces in the fossil fuel industry in the United States.
In 2012 it was reported that the United States used 17.4 quadrillion BTUs of Coal, and 32.5 Quadrillion BTUs of petrol
(Jones & Mayfield, 2016, pg. 6).
Coal is primarily used to generate power from residential to commercial needs. Comparatively, oil is a favorite of the transportation, and motor vehicle industry. The type of transference of a natural resource ultimately decides how the supply can be used. Coal is defined by its ability to create power, and where oil can be stored and latterly used to conduct energy.
A resource that typically creates power has been consumed as it is generated because of the time limit on the resource
(Jones & Mayfield, 2016, pg. 8, para. 4).
There are some critical differences in the overall physical makeup of the fossil fuels of coal and oil. Coal is considered to be solid and is made up of physical properties such as;
“contains oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur atoms in addition to the carbon and hydrogen atoms”
(Jones & Mayfield, 2016, pg. 14).”
Written: July 28, 2018
References
Jones, C. S., & Mayfield, S. P. (2016). Our energy future: introduction to renewable energy and biofuels. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy-library.ashford.edu
US Army Corps of Engineers. (n.d.). Tulsa District Hydropower. Retrieved from https://www.swt.usace.army.mil/Missions/Hydropower/