Oil - A Beginners Guide - Vacliv Smil

Summary

• A scientific dive into one of the primary sources of energy in the 21st century - Oil. What it is, how it is used, how it is distributed.

How I discovered it

• Bill Gates recommended Vacliv Smil and his book How the world works - Vacliv Smil which i enjoyed so much and learned so much that I looked up the other books written by him.

How the book changed me

• I learned a lot about oil, and gained a new appreciation for this versatile liquid that drives most of the world around me.

Details

• One of the primary ways oil has changed the world is by its effect on transport: A brief history of the petrol engine and A brief history of the diesel engine
• I did not know that there is an alternate theory of how oil came to be formed: Non-organic or abiotic theory of oil formation
• Interesting, teh Chinese developed drilling techniques for oil a long time ago
• Only about 1/5th of diamonds are sold for making jewellery, most of the rest goes into drilling for hydrocarbons and metallic ores.

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