Grayce P. Storey
Where you live depends upon the amount of oil you will use. The concern over how long will our oil reserve last is a genuine concern. The oil that we are using today, it took millions of years to form. Some experts believe that it should only be used to make important products. We have been reassured that new oil fields are being found every day and will continue to be used in some way when you are old.
There are many ways that we can save oil: 1) keep car engines tuned, 2) insulate hot water tanks, 3) and insulate buildings and houses.
We need to use oil carefully. “Once oil has been used it cannot be used again. One day the world will run out of it. It is therefore important to develop ways to replace it.”
23
There are other sources of oil where we can produce oil apart from the oil wells. Shale is one source. Oil is in the structure of this hard rock. In order to recover the oil it must be heated in a retort. This process is expensive and requires lots of water.
Tar sand is another source, but unlike shale, is not part of the rock. It is so thick it will not flow. This rock is mined, and again heat is used to extract the oil. This process is cheaper and lots of water is needed.
We can also make oil from coal by heating it in a retort. The gas that it gives off can be converted into oil by adding hydrogen.
The two questions we must answer concerning our future oil supply are: how fast should we use up our natural resources and what are we going to replace the with?
