For many economies, oil is truly like liquid gold. People use it with such frequency that they often take it for granted. Whether heating their homes, powering their cars, or using this to power important forms of equipment, most modern consumers are incredibly reliant upon these fuel types. Following are 10 facts about gas oil that every consumer should know.
The very first crude oil was pumped out of the ground some 2,500 years ago. This was accomplished in China and people have been honing and perfecting their techniques for refining this substance since this time. They have also been looking for new and more innovative and efficient ways of using it to enhance their lives.
The basic term for this substance is petroleum which can be literally interpreted as rock oil. This is still considered to be the most important commodities all throughout the world. That is because it is currently used to produce a broad range of products by the manufacturing industry. Among these are pharmaceutical products, synthetic plastics, fabrics and of course, gasoline.
Nearly half of all this substance that is consumed in the United States is for transportation purposes. This is just as true within the commercial sector as it is among private consumers. Thus, if people want to lower their carbon footprints by minimizing this substance, they should always start by carefully evaluating their commute plans and other day to day transportation solutions.
Almost half of the domestic refining capacity of the United States is accounted for by California, Louisiana and Texas. There are, however, countless sites that have yet to be tapped. These are impacted by environmental protection laws and concerns over the long-term geological harm that could be caused by fracking. As such, the country may be able to attain a greater level of dependence in this area when environmentally safe drilling strategies are used that account for the nuances of the terrain and the surrounding ecological systems.
While New York is one of the largest and most densely populated states in the country, it has the lowest per-person rate of energy consumption in the nation. This is likely due to the fact that many people within this state are heavily reliant upon public transportation and other shared transportation systems. Given the bustling nature of this state, many environmentalists are surprised by this fact.
Oil spills are a major environmental issue given that they cause damages that can literally take centuries to effective mitigate. The largest of these in all of history resulted in 4.2 million barrels of oil lost. This occurred in the Gulf of Mexico and was termed Deepwater Horizon due to its unknown impact and incredible magnitude. Human error is the most common cause of events like these which means that they may be preventable.
United States consumption of this important commodity has been measured at 19.5 million barrels each day. This makes the U. S. The absolute largest consumer in all the world. Saudi Arabia, however, clocks in as the largest oil producer with more than 267 billion barrels of gas oil in its reserves.
