Petrol originally meant ‘mineral oil, extracted from the ground’ (what we would now call petroleum or, more loosely, simply oil); not until the end of the 19th century was it applied to the ‘fuel refined from this’. The word was borrowed from French petrol, which in turn came from Latin petroleum (itself taken over directly into English in the 16th century). This means etymologically ‘rock-oil’. It was formed from Petra ‘rock’ and ileum ‘oil’. Other English words that go back to Latin Petra or its Greek source Petr include parsley, petrify (16th c.), saltpetre (16th c.) (so called because it forms a crust like salt on rocks), and the name Peter (a reference to Jesus calling the apostle Simon the ‘rock on which he would build his church’ – hence ‘Simon Peter’
These resources are available in large quantities. However, they are explored rarely due to the high costs and environmental threats associated with them.
- Fischer-Tropsch Method: It includes a catalyzed chemical reaction of converting methane and coal into various forms of liquid hydrocarbons. Cobalt and iron are the commonly used catalysts in the method. This process helps to produce synthetic lubricants (synthetic petrol) to power automobiles and jets. The technology has been commercialized in Malaysia (Shell) and South Africa (Sasol).
- Karrick Process: The process was developed by Lewis C. Karrick, an oil-shale technologist. It involves low-temperature carbonization (LTC) of carbonaceous materials, such as lignite, coal and shale. These are shielded from air exposure and heated at a temperature between 680°F (360°C) and 1380°F (749°C). This helps to extract oil and gasoline for commercial use.
- Thermal Depolymerization (TDP): The process starts with hydrous pyrolysis, which involves the heating of organic compounds at a high temperature (in the presence of water). This helps in reducing complex organic materials, such as biomass, into light crude oil.
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