What is the difference between Oil And Petroleum? - ProProfs Discuss
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What is the difference between Oil And Petroleum?

Asked by Denton Perez, Last updated: Apr 08, 2024

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3 Answers

O. Bickis

O. Bickis

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O. Bickis
O. Bickis, Corporate employee, MBA, Stockton

Answered Oct 14, 2020

The two terms -petroleum and oil- are really different. However, it also depends on the way they are used in a sentence or what the speaker might be referring to specifically. The term petroleum is a natural resource that is found in the upper part of the earth strata. When it is being refined, you can obtain several other useful items from it, such as petrol, benzene, Vaseline, kerosene, diesel, and etc.

As a matter of fact, one of the major derivatives of petroleum is the lubricant oil. This can be used as a lubricant for several engines, such as vehicles' engines and so on. Nevertheless, there are several other substances that can be referred to as oil. These include vegetable oil, palm oil, cooking oil, and etc.

The confusing part of it is that another meaning or name of petroleum is crude oil. Some refer to this crude oil as just oil, which should be well addressed so as not to take one thing for another.

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Barry Mclean

Barry Mclean

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Barry Mclean
Barry Mclean, Sales Manager, MBA, Ewa

Answered Oct 12, 2020

Oil and petroleum are both liquids. To make petroleum, the substance is mixed with hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons are taken from things like oil. It can also be taken from kerosene and gasoline. The word itself helps understand how it is created, for petra is rock, and oleum means oil.

Petroleum only uses oil from the earth. The oil itself can refer to many different things, in which some are separate from the Earth. For example, cooking oil is used in the kitchen. This could be coconut oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil, which are used to coat pans and fry things.

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C.Charlotte

C.Charlotte

C.Charlotte
C.Charlotte

Answered Feb 20, 2020

Petroleum is a liquid substance mixed with hydrocarbons that are extracted and processed to produce fuels such as oil, diesel oil, gasoline, and kerosene. In a close examination of this word, it interesting that petroleum comes from petra, which means rock, and oleum, which means oil.

Petroleum strictly refers to the oil that comes from the earth, while oil has an expansive definition, which includes cooking oils, lubrication, vegetable oil, and engine. The word oil is also used for crude oil, especially as it pertains to discovery. Petroleum oil is refined strictly for the use of fuel. The term oil encompasses any viscous substance, which is typically not flammable, and it does not mix with water.

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