Fuel can be defined as any substance that produces power
(energy, heat) when it is burnt. There are various forms of fuel such as solid
fuel like charcoal, wood, uranium, etc.; liquid fuel like petroleum products
and gaseous fuel like hydrogen gas, cooking gas, natural gas. Some of these
fuels mentioned above are fossil fuels. They were formed from dead plants and
animals over a very long period of time. These fuels have become the main
sources of energies for a very long time.
But it has been discovered that these sources of fuel that drives our
homes and industries are not friendly to man and its environment in particular
and the earth in general. This is as a result of their byproduct –carbon.
When these fuels are burnt to produce energy, carbon is
released into the atmosphere which is harmful to man and the environment. For instance when a car or a generator or any
engine at all that uses either petrol or diesel to run, carbon mono oxide is
released. This substance is so poisonous and can kill within second if exposed
to human and animals. It has caused the death of many persons in the developing
countries.
The carbon mono oxide reacts with the oxygen which we
breathe in to form carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide in turn depletes the
ozone layer. The ozone layer is a kind shield that prevents the heat from the
sun to get to the earth directly. And because of the depletion of the ozone
layer by the carbon dioxide, we are having global warming, greenhouse effect,
excessive flood and desert encroachment globally.
