energy consumption and sustainabilty .

Energy consumption and sustainability

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Energy consumption and sustainability
Plastics and petrochemicals are used in different applications ranging from domestic to industrial applications. Plastics and petrochemicals are made from petroleum (Lundquist, Leterrier, & Sunderland, 2001). Natural gas liquid and liquefied petroleum gases are two materials used to make plastics and petrochemicals. Liquid petroleum gases are extracted from refining petroleum while natural gases liquid are by-products of natural gas. Research has shown that the United States of America, for example, use liquid petroleum estimated to be 200 million barrels and around 400 million cubic feet of natural gas liquids to manufacture plastic products. It is enough evidence to show how plastic products are important in society. Just like the way people know that the plastic products are important, they also know that gas and oil are not renewable. Oils are lost right during extraction up to consumption by the final consumer. Crude oil leakage is a regular occurrence in the oil industry. Loss of crude oil result in a reduction of petrol hence its by-products. . Oil spillage is collected returned to refinery industries. It is tested for usability and if it is proven to be usable, it passes through pretreated first and then water is removed by the use of steam. It is then passed through vacuum distillation and lastly via fractionation to refined it. EPA regards re-refined oil to as the same as original oil.

The paper explore crude oil recycling to create awareness importance on the importance of recycling petrol and gases.
Disposing petroleum and gas are a major challenge because both of these substances are flammable. Disposing petrol in the sewer or trash can easily cause explosions and fire. Pouring petrol into the drain or sewer is not the best solution either. The conventional wastewater treatment and septic system plants are not suited to handle this type of waste. Storm sewers are sometimes connected directly to drain into a water source or petrol get poured on the ground accidentally may end up as runoff or percolates and mixes with underground water polluting them. The best method of disposing of used petrol and gas is by reusing it or recycling it. Petrol can be readily reused if it is reconditioned and its meets the standard. The recycling process involves the conversion of petrol and gas into petrochemicals (Texaco, 2000). The resulting petrochemical product can be a further process to produce different classes of plastics.
The primary importance of recycling of petrol and gas is to protect environment and resources for sustainability of future generations. In addition, petrol and gas can be recycling for economic reasons. Some other importance includes the following:
New Products Used Up Resources
Manufacturing of new products demand a lot of natural resources and with time it will cause depletion of these natural resources. Using recycled materials as raw materials for manufacturing of new products saves on the natural resources. Recycled petroleum and gas can be converted easily into petrochemical that in turn it can be used to manufacture different classes of plastics (Spiro, 1999).
Recycling Requires Less Energy
Recycling used products can be the easiest way of reproducing the same product with less energy as compared to manufacturing the same product. Petrol and gas can be recycled with less energy into petrochemicals. The petrochemical product can be readily converted into plastics and other related materials. Recycling processes requires less energy, and it will significantly reduce the overall production cost (Myers, 2001).
Money
The recycling process has a number of economic impacts. There is a vast number of companies who entirely rely on the recycle products as their raw materials. Recycled goods are converted into more useful forms, and it can be resold to generate income. Recycling saves much money that could be used in disposing of the waste materials. Recycling industries contribute significantly to the growth of an economy and this it will impact positively on the lives of the people through the generation of more job opportunities (Lundquist, Leterrier, & Sunderland, 2001).
Impact on Environment
Recycling of both petrol and gas have a positive impact in the world we are living. It is crucial to both the natural environment and the population. Measures should be put in place to ensure all the generated waste is handled in the manner in which it will reduce environmental pollution hence it will ensure resource sustainability (Myers, 2001).
In conclusion, since petroleum and gas are not renewable, fossil fuel are at a danger of depletion due to pollution and environmental factors. There is the deed to recycle petrol and gas to save energy and, conserve resources and environment. The two products of fossil fuels cannot be directly recycled but through the recycling of their by-products, depletion is minimised. The main petroleum products that are possible to be reused include motor oils and lubricants. It is not possible to collect oil spilt by ship during transportation, but it will amount to a significant percentage if petrol spills in garages and repair shops are minimised. Environmental protection organisations list mineral spirits to be petroleum products that can be recycled. It is scientifically possible to recycle crude oil collected by using vacuum distillation.

References
Lundquist, L., Leterrier, Y., & Sunderland, P. (2001). Life Cycle Engineering of Plastics: Technology, Economy and Environment. Burlington: Elsevier.
Myers, J. G. (2001). Energy consumption in manufacturing industries. Cambridge: Ballinger.
Quality, T. C. (2005). The used oil recycling handbook: guidance for used oil handlers. Texas: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Spiro, D. E. (1999). The hidden hand of American hegemony: petrodollar recycling and international markets. New York: Cornell University Press.
Texaco. (2000). Petroleum products. New York: The Texas Company.

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