petroleum

Also known as crude oil, black gold, oil, raw oil, pampetro, petrol oil, fossil-oil, conventional oil

Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term petroleum refers both to naturally occurring unprocessed crude oil, as well as to petroleum products that consist of refined crude oil.

AI overview

Petroleum is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid found underground that is made up mainly of chemical compounds called hydrocarbons. It's important because it can be refined into many different products that people use, and the term "petroleum" refers to both the raw crude oil as it comes from the ground and the useful products made from refining it.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

536,555 papers

Petroleum Intoxication: Literature Review and Case Report on Poisoning by Gasoline.ReviewSoudni lekarstvi · 2020Maria-Valeria K, Stylianos T, Vasiliki P et al.
Diesel-degradation by indigenous bacteria of petroleum-contaminated soils.International microbiology : the official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology · 2025Pakdel S, Agha ABA, Sharifi R et al.DOI: 10.1007/s10123-024-00616-5
Ecosystem effects and the management of petroleum-contaminated soils on subantarctic islands.ReviewChemosphere · 2018Errington I, King CK, Wilkins D et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.11.157
Potential hazards associated with combustion of bio-derived versus petroleum-derived diesel fuel.ReviewCritical reviews in toxicology · 2012Bünger J, Krahl J, Schröder O et al.DOI: 10.3109/10408444.2012.710194
Occupational exposures in petroleum refining; crude oil and major petroleum fuels.ReviewIARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans · 1989
Benzene Exposures and Risk Potential for Vehicle Mechanics from Gasoline and Petroleum-Derived Products.ReviewJournal of toxicology and environmental health. Part B, Critical reviews · 2015Williams PR, Mani ADOI: 10.1080/10937404.2015.1088810
Bio-catalytic degradation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) in petroleum distillate (diesel) by Pseudomonas spp.Scientific reports · 2023Sadare OO, Daramola MODOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31951-8
Upgrading and Refining of Crude Oils and Petroleum Products by Ionizing Irradiation.ReviewTopics in current chemistry (Cham) · 2016Zaikin YA, Zaikina RFDOI: 10.1007/s41061-016-0035-1

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Wikidata facts

Image: Petroleum sample.jpg

Show 10 more facts

Commons category: Petroleum
Commons gallery: Petroleum
consumption rate: 85600000
consumption rate per capita: 0.013
density: 1000
2022 Harmonized System Code: 331
OpenStreetMap tag: resource=oil
UN classification code: F1
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_00002984
hashtag: oil

Sources (11)

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~56 min read

Article

52 sections

Contents

Etymology
History
Early
19th century
20th century
21st century
Composition
Formation
Fossil petroleum
Anaerobic decay
Kerogen formation
Transformation of kerogen into fossil fuels
Oil window (temperature range)
Abiogenic petroleum
Reservoirs
Unconventional oil reservoirs
Classification
Use
Fuels and lubricants
Chemicals
Other derivatives
Industry
Transport
Price
Trade
Use by country
Consumption statistics
Consumption
Production
Exportation
Importation
Non-producing consumers
Environmental effects
Climate
Extraction
Oil spills
Tarballs
Whales
Alternatives
International relations
Corruption
Conflict
OPEC
Future production
Peak oil
Unconventional oil
Hydrocarbons on other worlds
In fiction
See also
Explanatory footnotes
Citations
External links

Petroleum is a fossil fuel formed over millions of years from anaerobic decay of organic materials from buried prehistoric organisms, particularly planktons and algae. It is estimated that 70% of the world's oil deposits were formed during the Mesozoic, 20% were formed in the Cenozoic, and only 10% were formed in the Paleozoic. Conventional reserves of petroleum are primarily recovered by drilling, which is done after a study of the relevant structural geology, analysis of the sedimentary basin, and characterization of the petroleum reservoir. There are also unconventional reserves such as oil sands and oil shale which are recovered by other means such as fracking.