Oil for the future

 

 

Scientists are working on new ways to power the world in the future. New inventions will help us to make the best use of oil. Cars that run on both petrol and electricity will become more common and help to save oil.

 

 

 

 

This rock can be used to make oil.

Oil shales are rocks that contain a large amount of organic matter (remains of dead animals and plants) called Kerogen. Kerogen can be made into man-made oil. Oil shale is found in many parts of the world. To change Kerogen into oil it must be heated to high temperatures. The problem with making oil from oil shale is that it uses lots of energy to heat the Kerogen, and it produces large amounts of waste material.

 

 

 

 

More oil reserves may be hidden under the ground.

Oil companies are constantly searching for new oil reserves. A large oil reserve was recently discovered in Bohai Bay Basin off the north coast of China. In the future it is believed that more oil may be discovered in Russia, the Middle East, North and West Africa and Central South America.

 

 

 

These tiny microbes may be used to get oil out of rocks.

In many oil reservoirs, three quarters of the oil is left behind because it is too difficult to get out. Scientists are working on ways to get the rest of the oil out. One way is to use microbes. These are tiny animals which feed on the nutrients in the oil. They release gas. The gas builds up the pressure in the reservoir which forces more oil out of the rock.