Petroleum

Petroleum is simultaneously one of the most used and reviled discoveries of the modern world. It is a broad term that covers both crude oil and petroleum products. However, people sometimes use the words petroleum and oil interchangeably. The word petroleum comes from the Latin word for rock, ‘petra’, and ‘oleum’, which means oil. Like coal and natural gas, it is a fossil fuel that was formed millions of years ago underground from the decomposition of dead matter. Petroleum can [...]