Non-transportation Uses of Oil - Research Paper Example

though oil presents with various dangers, when used appropriately it can bring about benefits which cannot be gained through other products and non-transportation activities. Oil is defined as “any of a large class of substances typically unctuous, viscous, combustible, liquid at ordinary temperatures, and soluble in ether or alcohol but not in water: used for anointing, perfuming, lubricating, illuminating, heating, etc.”1. This definition is very broad and encompassing, therefore it does not only include oil used for fuel and for transport, but it also includes other kinds of oil of varying viscosity, utilization, and application.

There are two main types of oil, namely, organic and mineral oils. Organic oils are produced by plants and animals through their natural metabolism. Lipid is the term used to define the fatty acids and other substances from oils produced by living things with oil being the general mixture of the various chemicals2. These oils have chemicals, as well as other lipids, proteins, and alkaloids3. These lipids can be identified based on how they are made, as well as their chemical make-up and their water solubility in relation to oils.

These lipids may be high in carbon and hydrogen and may be lacking in oxygen as compared to other compounds and substances4. They may also be nonpolar molecules, and may also include polar and nonpolar qualities, especially in the case of phospholipids and steroids5. Mineral oils on the other hand, include crude oil or petroleum oil, including its more refined elements known as petrochemicals6. Crude oil comes from fossilized organisms including algae and zooplankton which, after undergoing geochemical processes, turn into oil.

They are mineral oils because they generally do not have organic beginnings and are instead derived from rocks, sands, and underground traps7. Some distillates of crude oil are also classified as mineral oils. Organic oils have many uses. Most of these oils are not