Author(s)

Mustafa Mahmoud Mawad

Retired, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Petroleum is not a production of direct transformation of organic material into kerogen or oil. Sea organics can’t form such huge oil fields, since these sea creatures will either be consumed by bigger ones or decayed after few days. Farther more these sea animals consist of several components, such as proteins, scales, bones, and minerals, which could not be changed into oil. These should be seen as oil contamination, and we know that oil is relatively very pure hydrocarbon. Using methane as a primary component in the process of petroleum formation is a logical possibility for several reasons. Methane is quite abundant in nature, since the creation of the globe until these days. Furthermore, methane could be transformed into the different components of the crude oil by polymerization. Methane is highly pure hydrocarbon producing highly pure oil components. Methane could migrate easier than kerogen, and be collected in the methane traps (oil traps), since it behaves like water seeping into the lower beds. By mild heat and pressure at the depth methane polymers (oil components) will be formed. Oil is considered to be formed in-situ and not as mentioned in the organic theory, migrating from the kitchen to the oil trap. All the above point of views will be discussing in detail. Alternative ideas which are more logical and more acceptable will be suggested, and it will be the new progress concerning the origin of petroleum, its exploration, and localization.

Methane, Polymerization, Hydrocarbons, New Theory

Mawad, M. (2020) Origin of Petroleum: A New Theory of Its Formation. Journal of Power and Energy Engineering, 8, 63-72. doi: 10.4236/jpee.2020.88005.