What Is Bonded Goods And Non Bonded Goods Explain The Differences Between Them

Difference between motor oil and crude oil?

There are thousands, probably tens of thousands, of different carbon based components to crude oil. Different chain lengths, different bonding structures, different numbers of hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur and other elements. Crude oil from different areas of the world contain different compounds from other areas and different ratios of those compounds.

The refining process is very sophisticated to maximize production of particular kinds of end products from a particular batch of crude, based on the primary components, and the anticipated market requirements for each of those products.

So - fundamentally, crude is all possible components, whereas motor oil would be a much more homogeneous fluid with only a few different kinds of carbon molecules (well, in reality, maybe a few hundred different ones, carefully selected for specific properties).

If the gulf spill were entirely of motor oil, it <> be easier to clean up, since the entire slick would have more the same characteristics, and one kind of dispersant, for example, might work better. With crude oil, the volatile parts, light chain compounds and mixed in gases, evaporate (or can be burned off), the remaining compounds behave in lots of different ways depending on molecular weight, hydrophilic properties and other characteristics.

Some components may tend to separate from others, grouping with molecules more similar to themselves, so treatment that works on one part of the slick may not work as well on a different part.

Physical removal from the water or the sand and shoreline would probably be about the same effort for either raw crude oil, or motor oil.