Petroleum Is the King of Fossil Fuels

The energy content of the ctial reserves in the United States far exceeds that of the fo.ssil fuel reserves of all Middle East nations combined. Why, then, dties the United States import so much petroleum from these nations The immediate 

for example, that because petroleum is a liquid, it is easy to extract from the Earth. 

Punch a hole in the ground in the right place, and up it comes—no underground mining ncces.sary. 

Being a liquid, petroleum is also easy to tran.spt)rt. 

Petroleum is also versatile. It contains all the commercially important hydrocarbons, such as those that make up gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, motor oil, heating oil, tar, and even natural gas. Using fractional distillation (Section 12.1). oil refineries can convert one type of petroleum hydrtxarbon to another, thereby tailoring their output to fit consumer demand. Furthermore, petroleum contains much le.ss sulfur than does coal and so produces less sulfur dioxide when burned. So, dc.spite its vast coal reserves, the United States has a royal thirst for petroletim, the king of fo.ssil ftiels, consuming about 20 million barrels each day. This is about 11 liters per U.S. citizen per day. 

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