Waste to scarce!!

Courtesy : Google images

I shared an information about origin of petrol, but really was aware of one interesting fact. Crude oil and so petrol is by product of search for Salt. Salt was very important commodity in mid nineteenth century, as there were no refrigerators, and salt was used for food preservation. The salt was mined out from brine wells. Along with salt, some sticky and black substance was found. It was considered as nuisance, a waste and so dumped in river or oceans. Later, people started selling this greasy product for its medicinal use, that is massage treatment for arthritis and joint pains.

In 1854, Canada came up with kerosene from this so called waste grease or crude oil, which could be used for oil lamps. It gave a cheaper alternative of whale oil, used for lighting and also saved species of whale.

This by product of search of the salt, which was considered waste earlier, now got its importance, its real value and give raise to Oil boom in mid 1800. And came along legendary John D Rockefellow, America’s first oil tycoon and the founder of Standard Oil (or ESSO).

Rockefeller (born in 1839) was primarily a refiner, transporter and marketer of oil, rather than a miner of oil. The son of a door to door salesman (who dropped his young son on the ground and then advised him to trust no one) Rockefeller was famously frugal. He disliked anything being thrown out and tried to find a use for everything. (Courtesy: http://www.wotwaste.com/waste-articles/industrial-waste/was-petrol-really-once-a-waste-product )

So, from waste to scarce, the crude oil or say petrol, traveled very fast journey of its growth.