Crude oil, Processing Type : Crude

Crude oil sometimes called petroleum is found in the Earth's crust. Millions of years ago, small animals and plants died and fell to the bottom of the sea. Their remains were covered by mud. The mud eventually turned to rock. This rock put a lot of pressure on the dead animals and plants. Rocks around them also heated them up. Together the heat and the pressure turned the remains into crude oil. It was important that no air or oxygen was present. Materials like crude oil and coal which formed from living things many years ago, are called fossil fuels. Crude oil takes millions of years to form, so when we have used it all, we cannot quickly get more.

Crude Oil naturally occurring unrefined liquid fossil fuel composed of hydrocarbon deposits and other organic materials. Crude oil can be refined to produce useable products such as gasoline or Mogas or Petrol, Gasoil or diesel or heating oil, jet fuel or aviation Fuel, kerosene, LPG and Bitumen and literally thousands of other products called petrochemicals.

It is a non-renewable resource as it can't be replaced naturally at the rate we consume it and is therefore a limited resource. The demand for crude oil is dependent on global economic conditions as well as market speculation.