Oil

[johntheplamf]

What will happen if we use all the oil in the world? I mean surely it's there for some reason.

[brachiopod]

Yes, God put it there for man to use, and since God blesses America and the Ford Motor Company, He won't let it run out.

Alternatively, with emerging consumers such as China and India, usable oil reserves may 'run out' sooner than anticipated. The vested interests that discourage research into alternative energy sources, in order to preserve and maximise their bottom line, will then, hopefully, be ****ed.

The 'reason' it is there, is due to anoxic burial of marine micro-fauna. There is no 'purpose'.

[-=BigD=-]

We'll have to recycle plastics, drive electric cars, not wear fake fur, have paper cedit cards, end the curse of shell suits and find an sustainable alternatives for almost every thing manmade when it runs out.

But America is trying to buy time by stockpiling oil/petrol in old oil feilds!!! they love they massive gas guzzlers!!!

The massive caverns oil leaves are repressurised so they don't colapse, but as brachiopod said no reason other than being a mass grave for dead plankton n'stuff.

[MargeB]

I think it'll be possible to make 'plastics' from non-fossil fuel sources. 

[johntheplamf]

i always assumed, although i had no basis or knowledge in this field that this would be some sort of natural lubricant between the plates on the earth's crust, and when we extracted it, this produced more earthquakes. I know it's totally untrue, but it is a good theory hatched in the darker regions of my mind:-)

[Gef]

I'll look forward to your Nobel Prize MargeB

[MargeB]

Thanks! I'll give you an address to send it to. :-)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4191737.stm

Oranges??????

[3Styler]

Plastics are already often made by non-fossil fuel sources, in a large proportion of all plastic made is made by the fermentation of sugar (renewable) which produces ethanol by the respiration of anaerobic bacteria, this ethanol is easily converted into ethers and then to esters, things like polythene (poly-ethene).  aka plastics.

[Gef]

Thanks for the interesting link Marge. I think the problem would be one of scale - imagine the whole earth covered in orange trees :-)

Sorry 3 Styler but I disagree. The vast majority of our polymers are made from oil.

[MargeB]

I think the man from Del Monte would have a nice overtime payout...

[3Styler]

i never said the majority of plastics is made from sugar but a large proportion (a much larger proportion than people seem to think) is made from processes other than oil distillation, and this proportion will undoubtedly increase as time goes on

[jimmy654]

http://www.futurecars.com/futurefuels/bioethan ol.html