The key difference between gasoline and petroleum is that gasoline is derived from petroleum, whereas petroleum is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture composed of many hydrocarbons.
Gasoline and petroleum are important materials that have many different uses and applications each and every day. Petroleum is the source for the production of many substances, such as gasoline, diesel, and kerosene.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Gasoline
3. What is Petroleum
4. Gasoline vs Petroleum in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Gasoline vs Petroleum
What is Gasoline?
Gasoline is a petroleum-derived fuel. It is transparent, and we can use it as fuel in spark-ignited internal combustion engines. This fuel contains the organic compounds obtained from the fractional distillation of petroleum. Moreover, it contains various additives that enhance its properties.
Octane rating is an important measurement regarding gasoline. It indicates the resistance to igniting too early. Higher the octane rating, the higher the quality of gasoline. There are several octane rating grades. In early times, manufacturers used lead (leaded gasoline) to increase the octane rating, but nowadays, it is prohibited due to health concerns.
Gasoline has various negative effects on the environment. Ex: local effects such as smog and global effects such as climate changes. Moreover, this compound can enter the atmosphere in its uncombusted form as well, both as a liquid or as vapour. This occurs via leakage during handling, transportation, and delivery, from storage tanks, and from spills. This affects the environment because gasoline contains carcinogenic compounds such as benzene.
What is Petroleum?
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture composed of many hydrocarbons. This liquid can be found in different geological formations. However, the term petroleum is used to refer to both naturally occurring unprocessed crude oil and petroleum products that contain refined crude oil. Petroleum can be described as a fossil fuel. This is because it forms when large quantities of dead organisms, mostly zooplankton and algae, which are buried underneath sedimentary rock, are subjected to both prolonged heat and pressure.
The recovery of petroleum oil is done using oil drilling. This process is carried out after studies of structural geology, sedimentary basin analysis, and reservoir characterization. The most recent developments of these technologies have also led to the exploitation of other unconventional reserves, including oil sands and oil shale.
Once petroleum is refined and separated easily by distillation, we can get numerous products for direct use or use in manufacturing, including gasoline, diesel, and kerosene to asphalt and chemical reagents, e.g., plastics, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. Moreover, petroleum is useful in manufacturing many different things, which makes its daily consumption about 100 million barrels.
However, the exploitation of petroleum has many negative effects on the environment as well as social consequences. More importantly, extraction, refining, and burning of petroleum fuels can release a large quantity of greenhouse gases. Therefore, petroleum has become a major impact on climate change.
What is the Difference Between Gasoline and Petroleum?
Gasoline and petroleum are important materials that have many different uses and applications each and every day. Petroleum is the source for the production of many other substances such as gasoline. The key difference between gasoline and petroleum is that gasoline is derived from petroleum whereas petroleum is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture composed of many hydrocarbons. Moreover, petroleum has a high hydrocarbon content, whereas gasoline has a low hydrocarbon content. In addition, gasoline is a clear colorless liquid while yellowish-black liquid.
The below infographic presents the differences between gasoline and petroleum in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Gasoline vs Petroleum
Gasoline and petroleum are two fluids we use in our day-to-day life. The key difference between gasoline and petroleum is that gasoline is derived from petroleum, whereas petroleum is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture composed of many hydrocarbons.
Reference:
1. “Gasoline: Osh Answers.” Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 15 Aug. 2022.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Portable gasoline containers” By BrokenSphere – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Petroleum sample” By Nefronus – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia