Fossil fuels
Modern industrial society consumes high quantities of energy for heating, transport and industries. The main energy sources are natural fuels, and in particular fossil fuels.
Fossil coals originate in the subsoil from plant material that come from ancient forests, subject to chemical and physical processes for millions of years. During that period plant material looses hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, but acquires carbon, therefore increasing its heating value. The younger coal, which still has a relevant content of water, is called peat. Anthracite, instead, has a high content of carbon and a high heating value. The process that leads to carbon enrichment continues until graphite is formed. Graphite is a mineral consisting only of carbon. These fuels are typical of lands that originated 280 – 350 million years ago (Carboniferous period), as the previous period had been characterized by the growth of large forests with wooden trunk.Hydrocarbons, instead, are a particular type of organogenic rocks and result from the decay of organisms without oxygen. These substances accumulate on porous rocks and can be present in solid (bitumen), liquid (oil) and gaseous (natural gas) state. They are very light materials that move up to the top through permeable rock layers. When a rock layer hampers their movement, they accumulate and form a deposit.
Special reports
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8 November 2013
Magnets and superconductors
Which one of us has not played at attracting small pieces of iron with a magnet?
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6 September 2009
Oil fields beneath the ice
Con la graduale scomparsa del ghiaccio marino in seguito al...
13 May 2013
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
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15 September 2008
Natural gas
Natural gas has been the last fossil fuel to assert itself on a global scale...
18 January 2016
Ten years of oil demand
Eni has recently published the 14th edition of the 2015 World Oil and Gas Review...
12 April 2019
Easter with extinct friends
Easter Island is shaped like a triangle with three extinct volcanoes placed at the vertices, and has a total area…
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8 November 2013
Magnets and superconductors
Which one of us has not played at attracting small pieces of iron with a magnet?
-
6 September 2009
Oil fields beneath the ice
Con la graduale scomparsa del ghiaccio marino in seguito al...
13 May 2013
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
-
8 November 2013
Magnets and superconductors
Which one of us has not played at attracting small pieces of iron with a magnet?
From the Multimedia section
Facts
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Volcanic activity of Vesuvio
One of the most famous volcanic disasters was the eruption of Vesuvio in 79 A.D....
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Mountains on the Earth
The different landscapes that we analysed in the previous section are distributed...
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
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An artificial geyser
Electric and thermal power produced from geothermal energy depend on the existence of underground infiltrations...
Laterite and bauxite deposits
These deposits can be observed in those tropical areas that are characterized by...
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13 May 2011
Volcanic eruptions
The activity of some volcanoes is characterized by violent explosions...
Volcanic activity of Vesuvio
One of the most famous volcanic disasters was the eruption of Vesuvio in 79 A.D....
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Mountains on the Earth
The different landscapes that we analysed in the previous section are distributed...
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24 February 2011
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
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13 May 2011
Volcanic eruptions
The activity of some volcanoes is characterized by violent explosions...
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Volcanic activity of Vesuvio
One of the most famous volcanic disasters was the eruption of Vesuvio in 79 A.D....