Re: Car Craft Ramblings on Alky,,,,

[John McEwen <moparrr@xxxxxxx>]

What you are overlooking is the tremendous number of products which 
are made from petroleum in all of its forms.  The petrochemical 
industry is huge and burning the raw material or one of its refined 
forms is not part of it.  Ethylene is one of the major products and 
is used in the chemical and plastics industries in many forms.

Just to name two products should give you an idea of the scope 
involved.  They are ethylene glycol or antifreeze and polyethylene 
the venerable plastic used everywhere for so many things that I 
wonder if we could count them all.

Burning petroleum and natural gas is not the most important usage for 
the raw material.  We have already developed technology to use other 
products for transportation power.  The major problem is that they 
don't work as efficiently or simply as what we have today in the 
gasoline-fueled, internal combustion engine.

John



> --- Bruce Hevner <scramblr@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>  There are too many things we
> >  NEED petro for. We
> >  shouldn't be burning it.
>
>
>   I think what you're forgetting is that Gasoline was
> once considered a WASTE by-product of oil refining,
> until the internal combustion engine was developed in
> the late 1800's. Gas is gas...it's a by-product of
> refining crude oil, all right, but there are different
> fuels you get out of ALL crude oil, and gasoline is
> one of them. You're not "wasting" it, it's already in
> the oil. if you take out everything ELSE, you'd STILL
> have gasoline left over! How is that "wasting" it by
> not burning it? I remember seeing  refinery machinery
> in  a high school educational film, it had multiple
> levels at different heat ranges, and each different
> fuel condensed out somehow on the different levels.
> You can't "use" gasoline for anything else, I don't
> think...what else can you use pure gasoline for? I
> can't think of any other uses for it, are there? If
> so, name them, because none come to mind for me.
>   Maybe if you don't refine oil ( much ), it is still
> a lubricant, I'm not sure of the chemical complexities
> involved, so can't say that not refining a gallon of
> oil it will leave more for lubrication purposes, but
> I'd think that gasoline is NOT one of the main
> ingredients in lube oil and greases. If anyone can
> enlighten me/us, do so. Always willing to learn more,
> even if the brain is getting heavy these days. :)
>
> Jerry in VA...
>
>
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