Replacement for crude oil?

flibbage0

flibbage0

flibbage0

Soldato
Joined
6 Jun 2010
Posts
5,160
Do you think we could survive without crude oil, or do you still think there is a long way to go.

I personally think there is a long way to go, but it does make me think why there still isn't a direct replacement.
 
Simply no.

The fuel issue aside, crude provides a feedstock that feeds a vast proportion of the worlds population and provides safe food packaging and pharmaceuticals. Etc.

However if we can find an abundant enough source of power (fusion/fission) then we'll be find as we can do enough.
 
I don't think we're ready yet but we're on a slow path towards a carbon-free future. I don't know if we'll see it in our lifetimes though, but it'll be cool if we do.

@Hikari Kisugi: Most plastics can be made from plant cellulose as well as oil.
 
flibbage0 said:
Do you think we could survive without crude oil,
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I think we could "survive", but standards of living would have to drop considerably.

Jonny69 said:
I don't think we're ready yet but we're on a slow path towards a carbon-free future. I don't know if we'll see it in our lifetimes though, but it'll be cool if we do.

@Hikari Kisugi: Most plastics can be made from plant cellulose as well as oil.
Click to expand...

As you say, cellulose and other biomass can be used for many things, so it wouldn't be carbon free. We are just exchanging the source.
 
Like two thirds of the worlds population.

Dealing with that is a massive issue in of itself. Huge sudden increase in greenhouse gasses.
 
The world runs on oil, like your body does on blood.

Luckily there is enough oil to last decades, unfortunately the vast oil wells are in hard to reach places. When those articles in the news go on about not having enough, they are talking about the easy to reach places.

Think Russia was in the antartic not so long ago looking for oil?
 
Jonny69 said:
I don't think we're ready yet but we're on a slow path towards a carbon-free future. I don't know if we'll see it in our lifetimes though, but it'll be cool if we do.

@Hikari Kisugi: Most plastics can be made from plant cellulose as well as oil.
Click to expand...

Fine for us, but what about the major oil exporting economies? What are they going to do?

We'll have plenty of oil for our lifetime, that's for sure.
 
Most things that use oil to be made from only use oil because it's cheap (even now). Can expect oil to keep increasing in price until other materials and energy sources become cost effective. Probably looking at well over $200 a barrel in todays prices before that happens though, particularly for energy.
 
Jonny69 said:
I don't think we're ready yet but we're on a slow path towards a carbon-free future. I don't know if we'll see it in our lifetimes though, but it'll be cool if we do.

@Hikari Kisugi: Most plastics can be made from plant cellulose as well as oil.
Click to expand...

This,
As well as vastly reducing a our need by producing things in a recyclable way and then actually recycling it.

Fuel isa fast becoming a non issue. Plastics and the rest to follow soon.

Should be using our own waste as fertiliser anyway.
 
It's such a monumental task it will never happen. The world has to change to such an extent, that if we could time travel to the future....we wouldn't recognise it.
 
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