The Never lasting Fossil Fuel
Written, researched, and edited by Jesse Gwilliam, Liam Stone, Andrew Disher, and Ben Barker.

Lots of people use propane, but don’t know what it is. Propane is a fossil fuel formed millions of years ago and it is also a non-renewable resource. How do we get petroleum?  Animals and plants died and then sank to the ocean floor, where sediment piled up on the bodies and sedimentary rock was made. When heat and pressure are applied, the sediment turns into crude oil [which is natural gas], petroleum, and of course propane.

45% of the propane we use in America comes from raw natural gas. Raw natural gas is about 90% methane, about 5% propane, and about 5% other gases. The propane is separated from the other gases at a natural gas processing plant. 45% of our propane supply comes from petroleum, and 10% is imported. Since the U.S. imports two-thirds of the petroleum we use, much of the propane is separated from this imported oil.
-Andrew disher

History of propane
Propane has been around for millions of years, but wasn’t discovered until 1912. Doctor Wallis Snelling discovered that propane could be changed into a liquid. Propane is normally a gas. Propane in a gas form takes up 270 times more space than liquid propane. Propane is also colorless and odorless, but people added odor to it so they would know when there was a leak in a propane tank.

Efficient values of propane
Propane is cleaner burning than oil and doesn’t leave deposits in engines. It emits fewer pollutants into the air than engines that run on oil.

People use propane for heating barns, to make products and fuel factories, to fuel hot air balloons, to fuel backyard grills, to heat homes, to fuel fleets of cars like taxi companies, school buses, police cars, and finally to fuel appliances.

Problems with Propane
Have you ever seen a propane filling station for a car? No! Because there aren’t any. Also propane deposits are harder to find then oil deposits, and propane engines are costly additions.

Propane is clean burning but I think it is not the future of energy. Because it is a nonrenewable resource, we will run out of supplies someday.
–Jesse Gwilliam

INTERVEWING PROPANE COMPANIES ABOUT PROPANE
-Liam Stone
I conducted an interview with several propane companies in the Plymouth district.  Here are some interesting facts that I learned.  Did you know that old propane tanks are sold to scrap metal yards across the globe?  For instance, Elgin Recycling, Inc. is one of them.   Companies that sell the propane do not make the propane, but major companies like Shell does.  Do you know how propane is boarded into tubs? They use a hose.  In the winter time the major propane companies produce 8,000 gallons! Also, the percentage of people in Plymouth that buy propane is 38% to 40%.

The Petroleum Problem
By: Maddie Nilosek, Aubrey Sherman and Emily Brown

Petroleum is a fossil fuel that means millions of years ago little plants and animals died and the remains got buried in thousands of feet of sand.  Later on the remains became petroleum. Petroleum is useful but it pollutes too.  Air and water are being polluted right now! You could save all endangered animals like the polar bears. This is why we want you to save petroleum.

History of petroleum
We first saw petroleum oozing out of the ground in 20,000 BC. Petroleum is oil so it comes from wells. Edwin Drake in Titsville, Texas built the first oil well. We also burned it after the 1850’s to light our houses. Some scientists think petroleum was made in water and the water dried up leaving it in the ground. That could be true because there are plants and animals in water too! Most scientists believe that petroleum is not a fossil fuel.  They think it was made from rocks and minerals not animals and plants. That could also be true because there are rocks and minerals in the ocean too! 

Saving Petroleum
As you can see petroleum has been used for a long time. It is used for many things. Imagine living without pajamas deodorant and tires? What would we use to get around with? We need to try and use less. Most of our petroleum is from different countries.  So try and remember if fifth graders can save petroleum then so cans you!  

The Never Lasting Gas and What’s In It 
By: Tyler Chiocchio, Patrick Brady, and Nolan Rocchi

Natural gas is a variation of gases that consists primarily of methane. Natural gas can also consist of butane, pentane, propane, and ethane. Natural gas is better for the environment than propane and gasoline. Natural gas is less harmful to the environment because it doesn’t give off as much sulfur dioxide and ash when it is burned and it gives off just water vapor and carbon dioxide.

The History and Uses of Natural Gas
Natural gas was first founded in Greece, Rome on Mount Parnassus in 1,000 B.C. The Grecians founded the gas and built temples over flames emitted through holes by Natural gas and called them Eternal Flames. Natural gas is considered a non-renewable gas because it takes many years to form and could disappear in about 30 to 50 years from now. Throughout the United States, companies have used natural gas for Industries, Electrical Power, Residential needs, for Oil and Gas Industry Operations, Pipeline Fuel, and Vehicle Fuel. Mostly Industrial Manufacturers and Residential people use the gas. The gas is also an ingredient is fertilizer, glue, paint, laundry detergent, and many other things.                       

Shipping the Gas and Where to Find It
Natural gas is mostly shipped by pipeline. About 300,000 miles of pipeline underground links gas fields to major cities across the U.S. Natural gas can be very hard to find because it is trapped in porous rocks deep underground. Natural gas can also come from other sources such as methane gas found in coal. Another source of Natural gas is that it can be produced in landfills. Scientists use many methods to find Natural gas deposits. Today natural gas is produced in 35 states but just five of them, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Louisiana produce 59 percent of our supply.