5 ms·

A little bit OT, but I watched a Youtube video that mentioned that "hydrocarbon is inexhaustible". Is this true?

by christiansakai 6y ago

bserge 6y ago
Hydrocarbons are fossil fuels, basically. They are not inexhaustible.
- s1artibartfast 6y ago
  Biofuels are
  - bserge 6y ago
    Oh yeah, good point. I haven't thought about it, but yeah if you do agriculture just for biofuel, it could be considered inexhaustible (and even renewable?). But that seems like a terrible waste of agricultural production (which is better used for feeding people and animals).
    - cultus 6y ago
      Soil loss and salinification is always a danger. It's better to farm as little and as un-intensively as reasonable, in my opinion.
      - s1artibartfast 6y ago
        That depends on the alternative, doesn’t it? I think there is a place for biofuels, even if it is just replacing fossil jet fuel powering airliners
    - sidpatil 6y ago
      > I haven't thought about it, but yeah if you do agriculture just for biofuel, it could be considered inexhaustible (and even renewable?). Only if the inputs are inexhaustible. Industrial agriculture is driven by fertilizer produced from fossil fuels.
- whatshisface 6y ago
  Fossil fuels get more expensive the more you extract, while also squeezing civilization's neck via global warming, which makes it quite plausible that even if the world set out to exhaust all fossil fuel resources, it might fall apart before it succeeded.
jazzyjackson 6y ago
I believe anyone saying hyrdrocarbons are inexhaustible is saying one of two things: According to economic theory, as we deplete known reserves, hydrocarbons will become more and more expensive, until it is so expensive we stop trying to pump it, thus, we never use the last drop because it is too far underground. OR, they're talking abiogenic or "deep gas" theory, which supposes the earth produces oil without having to go through the trouble of millions of years of dead algae. Apparently oil has been found with abiogenic origins, but never in commercially significant amounts. Either way, oil fields do on occasion recharge themselves and it's disputed why this occurs. Modern theory is "I guess there's a reservoir below the reservoir" and deep gas theory says "The earth is the reservoir and it will keep us topped off" There does seem to be a pattern where the theory you subscribe to has to do with your economic theory. If you think there is plenty of oil, you will sell what you have now at a cheap price. If if you think oil will run out, you keep reserves untapped until the price goes up. Interesting gamble. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenic_petroleum_origin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenic_petroleum_origin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum#Formation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum#Formation
- perl4ever 6y ago
  >we never use the last drop because it is too far underground. But that "last drop" is rhetorical, because competitive energy sources substitute along the way and a great deal of the fossil fuels never gets used once it's no longer cheapest.

A little bit OT, but I watched a Youtube video that mentioned that "hydrocarbon is inexhaustible". Is this true?

bserge 6y ago

Hydrocarbons are fossil fuels, basically. They are not inexhaustible.

s1artibartfast 6y ago
Biofuels are
- bserge 6y ago
  Oh yeah, good point. I haven't thought about it, but yeah if you do agriculture just for biofuel, it could be considered inexhaustible (and even renewable?). But that seems like a terrible waste of agricultural production (which is better used for feeding people and animals).
  - cultus 6y ago
    Soil loss and salinification is always a danger. It's better to farm as little and as un-intensively as reasonable, in my opinion.
    - s1artibartfast 6y ago
      That depends on the alternative, doesn’t it? I think there is a place for biofuels, even if it is just replacing fossil jet fuel powering airliners
  - sidpatil 6y ago
    > I haven't thought about it, but yeah if you do agriculture just for biofuel, it could be considered inexhaustible (and even renewable?). Only if the inputs are inexhaustible. Industrial agriculture is driven by fertilizer produced from fossil fuels.
whatshisface 6y ago
Fossil fuels get more expensive the more you extract, while also squeezing civilization's neck via global warming, which makes it quite plausible that even if the world set out to exhaust all fossil fuel resources, it might fall apart before it succeeded.

jazzyjackson 6y ago

I believe anyone saying hyrdrocarbons are inexhaustible is saying one of two things: According to economic theory, as we deplete known reserves, hydrocarbons will become more and more expensive, until it is so expensive we stop trying to pump it, thus, we never use the last drop because it is too far underground. OR, they're talking abiogenic or "deep gas" theory, which supposes the earth produces oil without having to go through the trouble of millions of years of dead algae. Apparently oil has been found with abiogenic origins, but never in commercially significant amounts. Either way, oil fields do on occasion recharge themselves and it's disputed why this occurs. Modern theory is "I guess there's a reservoir below the reservoir" and deep gas theory says "The earth is the reservoir and it will keep us topped off" There does seem to be a pattern where the theory you subscribe to has to do with your economic theory. If you think there is plenty of oil, you will sell what you have now at a cheap price. If if you think oil will run out, you keep reserves untapped until the price goes up. Interesting gamble. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenic_petroleum_origin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenic_petroleum_origin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum#Formation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum#Formation

perl4ever 6y ago
>we never use the last drop because it is too far underground. But that "last drop" is rhetorical, because competitive energy sources substitute along the way and a great deal of the fossil fuels never gets used once it's no longer cheapest.