Everything Oil Is Good For 😮

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Did you know how many processes a barrel of oil has to go through before it becomes [music] the energy we use every day? A barrel of crude oil doesn't reach your hands the same way it comes out of the ground. Before it becomes useful, it passes through a massive distillation [music] tower where heat separates everything inside into different layers, each with its own purpose. The very first thing to rise to the top is petroleum gas, which is later compressed into the liquefied gas many people use at home. Right below that is gasoline, responsible for 20% of everything a barrel produces and the fuel that powers most of the world's cars. A little farther down we find cracking oil, a rarely mentioned but essential ingredient [music] used to make plastics and chemicals. Then comes jet fuel, more stable than regular gasoline and specifically designed to keep airplanes running at high altitudes. The fifth fraction is diesel, which makes up no less than 30% of the barrel and [music] keeps trucks, excavators, and heavy machinery moving. Lower still is heavy fuel oil, a thick substance that's hard to ignite yet so energy dense and inexpensive that it's the preferred fuel for massive ships crossing the oceans.

[00:00:51][music] Next comes lubricating oil, also known as grease, the material that keeps engine parts from destroying themselves through friction. And at the very bottom, almost like the final residue of this long process, is asphalt, the same black material used to make the roads you walk and drive on every day. One single barrel, eight completely different products.