Louis Hissink: FOSSIL FOOLS?
A general reading of the comments about climate sceptic articles published by the ABC’s The Drum webpage reveals the existence of the persistent belief that petroleum is a fossil fuel derived from the burial of biomass via tectonic subduction in the shallow parts of the Earth’s crust. There is a belief that this carbon was removed from the atmosphere over millions of years, and that humanity is now rapidly putting it back into the atmosphere by burning coal and oil products. This prevailing theory is known as the Biotic Oil theory. Coal deposits are considered to be simply masses of compressed vegetation, and another example of biomass removed from the biosphere into the lithosphere. These views are not based in fact. ...
One of the more interesting exercises is to Google the phrase “experimental evidence of biotic oil theory” and apart from Google suggesting “did I mean 'abiotic,'” nothing turns up. This isn’t surprising because experimentally it’s not possible to generate petroleum from subjecting biomass to pressures and temperatures thought to exist at the base of sedimentary basins. Hence no scientific literature on the subject.
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8 comments:
OIM,
"Clearly the Earth’s creation as outlined in Genesis, could not have been observed by anyone, and thus cannot be considered a scientific fact." - LH
LH is arguing a catclismic(?) depotion of mostly an organic - hydrocarbon filled - astroid in the Earth. Now, couldn't we date this through all the drilling and digging we have done and are doing?
This isn’t surprising because experimentally it’s not possible to generate petroleum from subjecting biomass to pressures and temperatures thought to exist at the base of sedimentary basins.
No, but biodiesel is experimentally possible. Although, without a doubt abiotic oil should theoretically exist. That is as far as I know for certain, but as to what is being currently pumped out of the ground worldwide, I'm about 70abiotic-30biotic on that one. It must, indeed, be conceded that hydrothermal vents are spewing out methane which almost certainly has abiotic origins.
Also, I find it must be true that all the carbon in the atmosphere which gets photosynthensized by plants and algea must have originally come from below too.
But, like I said, there are the optimistic predictions for biodiesel, so I'm not entirely convinced on abiotic oil origins yet.
QF,
It's basic high school level chemisty. Carbon + hydrogen = hydrocarbon. Chemical elements and compounds are not biological organisms.
Is corn abiotic then?
Corn is a biological organism not a chemical compound.
Corn is made up of abiotic molecules though.
Everything is. If I spit or piss out water does that mean water is biogenic?
This conversation is off track. Biodiesel is derived from organic sources, whereas crude oil is derived from, perhaps, mostly abiotic sources.
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