Break it Down! How Scientists are Making Fuel Out of Plants

The good thing about fossil fuels is that they are very energy dense, i.e., they contain a lot of energy per unit of volume. This means that fossil fuels are very good at powering cars and generating heat. The not-so-good thing about fossil fuels is that the earth has a limited amount of them. Because fossil fuels take millions of years to form, we will eventually use them up before more are made. Additionally, burning fossil fuels or petrochemicals releases When you ride the bus to school in the morning, your journey is probably powered by diesel or gasoline, which is both made from petroleum. Petroleum is a fossil fuel, which means that it is made from decomposed, fossilized organisms – such as ancient plants, plankton, and algae – that have been buried under the Earth’s surface for millions of years.