The natural fuels formed from the remains of living organisms buried under the earth long long

ago are
called fossil fuels. These are exhaustible natural resources.

The plants and animals which died millions of years ago, were gradually buried deep in the earth and got
covered with sediments like mud and sand, away from the reach of air. In the absence of air, the
chemical effects of heat, pressure and bacteria, converted the buried remains of plants and animals into
fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas.

Please note that the buried remains of large land plants were converted into coal whereas those of tiny
marine plants and animals were converted into petroleum and natural gas.
● Coal is used to make coal gas which is an important industrial fuel
● Coal is also used to make coke
+ HEAT
Coal Products
Coke
1. It is a tough, porous and black substance.
2. It is the black substance obtained after heating coal in the absence of oxygen (air).
3. It is almost the pure form of carbon (98% carbon).
Coal Tar
1. It is a thick, black liquid with an unpleasant smell.
2. It is the residue obtained by heating coal in the absence of oxygen (air).
3. It is a mixture of 200 different carbon compounds.
4. Coke is a better fuel than coal
4. It is also used in the making of
because it produces more
naphthalene balls which are used
heat on burning and does
to repel moths and other insects.
not produce much smoke.
5. It is used to manufacture steel 5. It is used as a starting material and for extraction of many
for manufacturing various
metals.
substances like synthetic dyes, drugs, explosives, perfumes, plastics, paints, photographic material and roofing material etc.
Coke is coal reduced to nearly pure carbon.
Earlier coal tar was used for metalling roads. But these
2.E
Coal Gas
1. It is a gaseous fuel.
2. It is obtained during the heating of coal in the absence of oxygen.
3. It is a mixture of gases, mainly methane with some carbon monoxide.
4. It produces a large amount of heat when it burns.
5. It is used as a fuel in many industries, especially, which are situated near the coal processing plants.
When coal gas burns, it produces a good amount of

Coke
It is a tough, porous and black substance.
2. It is the black substance obtained after
heating coal in the absence of oxygen (air).
3. It is almost the pure form of carbon (98%
carbon).
4. Coke is a better fuel than coal not produce
much smoke.
Coke is coal reduced to nearly pure carbon.
Earlier coal tar was used for metalling roads.
5. It is used to manufacture steel for
extraction of many metals.
Coal Products
Coal Tar
1. It is a thick, black liquid with an unpleasant
smell.
2. It is the residue obtained by heating coal in the
absence of oxygen (air).
3. It is a mixture of 200 different carbon
compounds.
4. It is also used in the making of because it
produces more
naphthalene balls which are used heat on burning
and does to repel moths and other insects.
5. It is used as a starting material and
for manufacturing various substances like
synthetic dyes, drugs, explosives, perfumes,
plastics, paints, photographic material and roofing
material etc.
Coal gas
It is a gaseous fuel.
2. It is obtained during the heating of coal
in the absence of oxygen.
3. It is a mixture of gases, mainly
methane with some carbon monoxide.
4. It produces a large amount of heat
when it burns.
5. It is used as a fuel in many industries,
especially, which are situated near the
coal processing plants.
When coal gas burns, it produces a good
amount of
Properties of petroleum
(i) It is a thick, dark coloured crude oil mainly
used as a fuel in automobiles. Both petrol and diesel are obtained from petroleum.
• Petrol is mainly used in light automobiles like cars, scooters, and motorbikes.
• Diesel is mainly used in heavy vehicles like trucks and tractors.
(i) It has an unpleasant odour and is insoluble in water. (iti) It is found deep below the ground trapped in the rocks.
The word petroleum (petra = rock; oleum =oil) means rock oil.
(iv) It is a complex mixture of compounds known as hydrocarbons
(hydrogen and carbon).
(v) It is called fossil fuel as it is formed from dead remains of plants and animals.
(vi) It ignites easily and so is called a highly inflammable substance.
How is petroleum formed?
It was formed by the decomposition of organisms (plants and animals) buried deep under the sea, millions of years ago. The process is as
follows?
(a) As plants and animals living in the sea died, their bodies settled at the bottom of the sea.
_Wells
(b) With time, these bodies got compressed under the layers of sand and clay, which got deposited over them for millions of years.
Impervious
Rock
Gas
Oil
(c) Over millions of years due to high pressure,

high temperature and no oxygen under the sea,

dead plants and animals slowly got converted into petroleum and natural gas.
• Petroleum and natural gas are extracted by drilling holes (called oil wells) through the layers on earth to reach the rock formation that contains
the deposits. Drilling is done on land and under the sea to extract petroleum.
• You will find that petroleum oil and gas are found above the water. This is because both oil and gas are lighter than water and also, because
they do not mix with it.