Fuel

Wood was one of the first fuels used by humans and is still the primary energy source in much of
the world.[citation needed]

Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in
a controlled manner. A fuel contains energy, mostly heat, that can be released and then
manipulated. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a
combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air. Other
processes used to convert fuel into energy include various other exothermic chemical reactions
and nuclear reactions, such as nuclear fission or nuclear fusion. Fuels are also used in the cells of
organisms in a process known as cellular respiration, where organic molecules are oxidized to
release usable energy. Hydrocarbons are by far the most common source of fuel used by humans,
but many other substances, such as radioactive metals, are currently used as well.

Chemical
Chemical fuels are substances that release energy by reacting with substances around them, most
notably by the process of oxidation.

Biofuels

Main article: Biofuel

Biofuel can be broadly defined as solid, liquid, or gas fuel consisting of, or derived from
biomass. Biomass can also be used directly for heating or powerknown as biomass fuel.
Biofuel can be produced from any carbon source that can be replenished rapidly e.g. plants.
Many different plants and plant-derived materials are used for biofuel manufacture.

Perhaps the earliest fuel employed by humans is wood. Evidence shows controlled fire was used
up to 1.5 million years ago at Swartkrans, South Africa. It is unknown which hominid species
first used fire, as both Australopithecus and an early species of Homo were present at the sites.[1]
As a fuell, wood has remained
r in use up until the present day, althouggh it has beeen superseded for
a energy deensity of 1020 MJ/kg.[2]
many purrposes by otther sources. Wood has an

Recentlyy biofuels havve been deveeloped for use in automootive transpoort (for exammple Bioethaanol
and Bioddiesel), but th
here is widesspread publiic debate aboout how carbbon efficientt these fuels are.

Fossil fu
uels

Main artticle: Fossil fuel

f

Fossil fueels are hydroocarbons, prrimarily coall and petroleum (liquid petroleum
p orr natural gas)),
[3]
formed from
fr the fosssilized remaiins of anciennt plants andd animals by b exposure to t high heat and
pressure in the absen nce of oxygenn in the Eartth's crust oveer hundreds of millions ofo years.[4]
Commonnly, the term m fossil fuel also
a includess hydrocarboon-containingg natural ressources that are
not derivved entirely from
f biologiical sources, such as tar sands.
s Thesee latter sourcces are propeerly
known ass mineral fueels.

Nucleear
Main artticle: Nuclea
ar fuel

Nuclear fuel
f is any material
m that is consumedd to derive nuclear
n energgy. Technicaally speakingg this
definitionn includes alll matter beccause any eleement will under
u the righht conditionss release nucclear
energy, thhe only mateerials that arre commonlyy referred to as nuclear fuels
f though are those thhat
will prodduce energy without
w beinng placed unnder extremee duress.

Fission
Nuclear fuel
f pellets are
a used to create
c nucleaar energy.

The mostt common ty ype of nucleaar fuel used by humans is i heavy fisssile elementss that can be
made to undergo
u nucclear fission chain reactioons in a nucllear fission reactor;
r nucllear fuel cann
refer to thhe material or
o to physicaal objects (foor example fuel
f bundles composed of o fuel rods)
composed of the fuell material, peerhaps mixed with structtural, neutroon moderatinng, or neutronn
T most coommon fissille nuclear fuuels are 235U and 239Pu, and
reflectingg materials. The a the actionns of
mining, refining,
r purrifying, usingg, and ultimaately disposiing of these elements toggether make up
the nucleear fuel cyclee, which is im
mportant forr its relevancce to nuclearr power geneeration and
nuclear weapons.
w

[edit] Fusion

Fuels thaat produce en

nergy by the process of nuclear
n fusioon are currenntly not utilizzed by man but
are the main
m source of o fuel for stars, the most powerful energy
e sources in nature.. Fusion fuells
tend to be light elemeents such as hydrogen which
w will coombine easilyy.

In stars thhat undergo nuclear fusiion, fuel connsists of atom

mic nuclei thhat can releasse energy byy the
absorptioon of a proto
on or neutronn. In most staars the fuel is
i provided byb hydrogenn, which can
combine together to form
f helium
m through thee proton-protton chain reaaction or by the CNO cyycle.
When thee hydrogen fuel
f is exhauusted, nucleaar fusion cann continue with progressiively heavier
elements, although th he net energyy released iss lower becauuse of the smmaller differeence in nuclear
binding energy.
e Oncee iron-56 or nickel-56 nuuclei are prooduced, no fuurther energyy can be
obtained by nuclear fusion
f as theese have the highest nucllear binding energies.[5]

World
d trade

Fuel impports in 2005

5
World Bank reported that the USA was the top fuel importer in 2005 followed by the EU and
Japan.[citation needed]

Use over time

The first use of fuel was the combustion of wood or sticks by Homo erectus near 2 million years
ago.[6][page needed] Throughout the majority of human history fuels derived from plants or animal
fat were the only ones available for human use. Charcoal, a wood derivative, has been used since
at least 6,000 BCE for smelting metals. It was only supplanted by coke, derived from coal, as the
forests started to become depleted around the 18th century. Charcoal briquettes are now
commonly used as a fuel for barbecue cooking.[7]

Coal was first used as a fuel around 1000 BCE in China. With the development of the steam
engine in 1769, coal came into more common use as a power source. Coal was later used to drive
ships and locomotives. By the 19th century, gas extracted from coal was being used for street
lighting in London. In the 20th century, the primary use of coal is for the generation of
electricity, providing 40% of the world's electrical power supply in 2005.[8]

Humans have been consuming fossil fuels since the industrial revolution, because they were
more readily available then the existing standards such as whale oils, and they were much
cheaper to produce.

Currently the trend has been towards renewable fuels, such as biofuels like alcohols.