This article is from WeChat public account:China Science Expo (public number: kepubolan), author: Yang Xue, head from the east FIG IC

There is such a baby, it can be a chewing gum in your mouth, it can be a cool silky T-shirt on your body, it can be a spray in your car.A thin source of energy can also be a colorful paint in your room. Some countries are rich in oil because of it, and some countries have been fighting for it for years.

It is the protagonist we are going to introduce today – oil. It is a dark brown viscous liquid composed of a mixture of various hydrocarbons. It is a valuable resource called “black gold” and “industrial blood”. Shen Kuo, an outstanding scientist in the Northern Song Dynasty in China, mentioned in his book “Meng Xi Bi Tan” that “there is oil in the territory of Yan and Yan… It is like lacquer, burning like hemp, but the smoke is very strong, and the curtain is very dark… …this thing will go a long way in the world.” The term “oil” is therefore named, and his prophecy of oil “this thing will go a long way in the world” is also very far-sighted. It seems that oil has indeed penetrated into every corner of our lives, and is closely related to our eating, wearing, living, and traveling.

(Source: https://www.veer.com/photo/310885112)

Part.1 people’s life has to “eat” 551 kilograms of oil

What? The black paint can eat black oil? Give one to show me! I think everyone has this kind of question. Of course, the oil that has just been extracted from the oil field is unbearable because it contains a variety of highly toxic organic compounds, such as a class of carcinogens, benzene. However, after further processing, the oil is inseparable from our “eat”.

The crops on the land need to be long and strong, and they are inseparable from fertilizers to supplement nutrients, because the natural organic fertilizers in nature alone can no longer meet the needs of agricultural production. Therefore, people have gradually explored and developed a method of chemically synthesizing fertilizer. Fertilizer is the use of oil, natural gas as raw material industry to synthesize ammonia, and further production into ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, urine

Actually, the oil that people spend on their “wearing” reaches 290 kilograms. For example, although we usually prefer pure cotton fabrics, but most sportswear, it is rare to see pure cotton fabric, but often see such as 100% polyester fiber, 82% cotton + 18% polyester Fabrics such as fibers. This is because the cotton fabric is soft and comfortable, but it is highly hygroscopic and easily absorbs a lot of sweat discharged during exercise and sticks to the body, which greatly reduces the comfort. More importantly, the cotton fabric is very inelastic and cannot meet the large-scale movement requirements of strenuous exercise.

In contrast, polyester fabrics, also known as polyester, are good, have poor water absorption, and sweat in sports can squat on their own without sticking too much to clothing. Also based on the poor water absorption of polyester fiber fabrics, sportswear is generally easier to clean and quick to dry after washing. More importantly, the polyester fiber fabric is very elastic and can meet the movement requirements required for sports, so it can be enjoyed on the sports field and is popular. The chemical composition of polyester fiber – polyethylene terephthalate (PET) synthetic raw materials – terephthalic acid and The diol is obtained directly or indirectly from the product of petroleum cracking. The oil is pyrolyzed to obtain toluene, xylene and ethylene. After chemical processing, terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol can be obtained. After esterification and polycondensation, polyethylene terephthalate can be obtained, that is, polyester. Fiber, polyester or indeed.

(Source: Author)

Part.3 people’s life has to “live” 3790 kilograms of oil

The house is oil in all directions! Looking around our home, we can say that every place is inseparable from the participation of oil. Calculated, people’s life spent nearly 3,790 kilograms of oil on the “live”. The first is all the plastic products we have access to, all without exception from oil. For example: polyethylene (PE) for plastic wrap and food bags; PVC for kitchen and bathroom hoses and wire and cable sheaths(PVC). The most important source of ethylene is the cracking of petroleum, and the world has already used ethylene production as one of the important indicators to measure the development level of a country’s petrochemical industry. Polypropylene (PP) for the manufacture of water basins, microwave crispers, etc.; for the manufacture of lampshades, instant noodles, disposable lunch boxes, etc. Polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) raw materials such as propylene, benzene, toluene, etc., are all products of petrochemical industry. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to lose plastic in our world.

Even non-plastic products are inseparable from the shadow of oil. For example, paints and coatings on walls and furniture surfaces use oil; cleaning suppliesSuch as facial cleanser, shampoo, detergent, etc. are also derivatives of petroleum. Oil is even a raw material for making cosmetics. More than 90% of cleansers and cosmetics on the market today contain mineral oil, as well as petrolatum, paraffin, flavors, etc., all from petroleum. Pick up your essential water, cream, lipstick and see what ingredients are there?

(Source: https://www.veer.com/photo/146689137)

(Source: https://www.veer.com/photo/145583324)

Part.4 people have to “walk” 3838 kilograms of oil in their lifetime

The reason why we travel faster and faster, and the daily life is a thousand miles, oil plays an extremely important role. People spend about 3,838 kilograms of oil on their own line.

In addition to the gasoline and diesel fuel that the car is eating, the aviation kerosene that the aircraft “eats”, the asphalt paving the road is also derived from petroleum. The asphalt is the residue after the crude oil refines gasoline, diesel and kerosene. . At the same time, if the machine runs smoothly, it needs lubricating oil or grease to protect the machinery and reduce mechanical wear. Otherwise, they will not be far away from scrap iron.Lubricants or greases are also petroleum products. Tires require synthetic rubber, and the large amount of raw materials required, such as ethylene, propylene, butene and aromatic hydrocarbons, are also mainly from petrochemicals. A monomer for producing a synthetic rubber is obtained from petroleum, and a macromolecular solid having high elasticity is formed by polymerization. Synthetic rubber tires are widely used because of their good insulation, good air tightness, oil resistance, high temperature resistance and low temperature resistance.

(Source: https://www.veer.com/photo/301052208)

(Source: https://www.veer.com/photo/168798114)

Oil has such an important position and is called “the blood of industry”, which is worthy of its name. And we are familiar with the fuel supply to the engine, it is the initial application of oil, so that Tesla CEO Elon Musk once said: “Oil is so precious, you actually used it to burn.”

As ethanol gasoline embarks on the historical stage, we can see that the burden of fuel on the oil is gradually being shared. It is believed that through the efforts of scientists, the fuel role of oil will eventually become a glorious history; and its special lofty status as the “blood of industry” will continue…