Competing Uses of Crude Oil Fractions
-
90% used as fuel
- generate thermal energy and electricity
- power motor vehicles and industrial activities
-
10% used as petrochemical feedstock:
- manufacture of plastics, detergents, medicines, fertilisers, pesticides, synthetic rubber.
Issues
- supply of crude oil is limited.
- crude oil fractions are important as chemical feedstock for the manufacture of daily products. it is waste to just ‘burn’ crude oil fractions away as fuel.
- thus the 2 uses are said to compete for this limited supply.
- in order to ensure that the supply of crude oil lasts longer for use both as a fuel and chemical feedstock, we need to conserve crude oil.
Ways to Conserve Crude Oil
- reduce use of crude oil
- reducing number of motor vehicles on road
- driving smaller cars that consumer less fuel
- taking public transport such as buses and the MRT
- Use alternative energy sources
- alternative fuels
- solar energy
- nuclear energy
- to produce nuclear energy, nuclear plants use fuels like plutonium and uranium. however there is a danger of harmful radiation leaking into env. from nuclear plants.
- improve design of power stations and vehicles so that they use crude oil more efficiently. e.g. electric vehicles can be used.