Hydrocarbon
A hydrocarbon, in organic chemistry, is a compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or exemplified by the odors of gasoline and lighter fluid. In the fossil fuel industries, hydrocarbon refers to the naturally occurring petroleum, natural gas and coal, and to their hydrocarbon derivatives and purified forms. Combustion of hydrocarbons is the main source of the world's energy. Petroleum is the dominant raw-material source for organic commodity chemicals, such as solvents and polymers.
Several different classes of hydrocarbons exist, exhibiting different chemical and physical properties. The two main classes include aliphatic (single or branched chains), as well as aromatic compounds, having a ring or loop present.
Further, different lengths of hydrocarbons exhibit different physical properties, especially in both energy density or boiling point. These different hydrocarbon chains are used for different purposes, including different types of fuel (diesel, gasoline, parafin), as well as building (bitumen for asphalt). The seperation of these hydrocarbon chains from crude oil is done via fractional distillation, with the different 'fractions' seperated generally containing similar length hydrocarbons.
Some commonly available aliphatic hydrocarbons include Methane, Ethane, and Propane, which are commonly used as gaseous fuels. These gasses burn steadily, and often can be easily mass produced with very little materials.
Some commonly available aromatic hydrocarbons are Benzene, Pentane, and Cyclohexane, which are commonly used as both solvents for, and reagents in organic chemistry as precursors to several medicines such as 1-Amino-Benzyl-4-Sulfonamide, one of the oldest synthetic antibacterial drugs.
Production
The easiest to produce hydrocarbon is methane, which can be made using manure, typically cow manure. In a container, manure is loaded in and mixed with just enough water to make a sludge. Sugars are poured in, and the Methanobacteria in the manure ferments the sugars into methane and carbon dioxide, which are released as gas. A tube is attached to an outlet on the lid of the container, and the biogas can be collected in balloons. The biogas then needs to be processed over Red Iron Oxide (Iron (III) Oxide - Fe2O3) to remove Hydrogen Sulfide (HS), an incredibly toxic, corrosive, and horrible smelling impurity that makes up roughly 3-5% of the biogas. When the hydrogen sulfide comes in contact with the Red Iron Oxide, it forms Iron Sulfide and water. The biogas is then bubbled through water to help scrub Carbon Dioxide gas from it, forming Carbonic Acid when held at high enough pressure. Lastly, the gas is passed over a drying agent such as anhydrous Magnesium Sulfate to pull any leftover water out of your methane gas. The methane can be collected back into balloons for storage and use, or can be liquified at -161.5 C and put into pressure rated cylinders.
Dependencies
See also
References
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