What is crude oil? Where does it come from?

Crude oil is a naturally occurring fossil fuel that is produced from hydrocarbons that have formed over the last 500 million years from various plant and animal life. Most of today’s energy and fuel reserves come from the derivatives of crude oil. The comprehensive list below provides a sample of what crude oil can become with the correct refining processes.

• Acetaldehyde
• Acetic acid
• Acetic annhydride
• Acetone
• Acetylene
• Acrylonitrile
• Ammonia
• Benzene
• Butadiene
• Butanols
• Butylenes
• Ethanol
• Ethylene
• Ethylene glycol
• Formaldehyde
• Methanol
• Phenol
• Polyethylene
• Propylene
• Synthetic Rubber
• Styrene
• Toluene
• Xylene

Each of the various chemicals and or fuels above are created using crude oil. Oil refineries will either create these chemicals or create gasoline, whichever is more profitable.