Do you ever think, what are the sources of non-renewable energy and what are their roles in our life?
All the fossil fuels we get from beneath the earth are non-renewable!
In today’s world, starting from electricity to every other form of energy and technology, there is an excellent role of non-renewable energy. Petroleum is a beautiful source of that energy from which various other sources of energy can be extracted.
Petroleum itself can directly be used in the form of petroleum jelly. However, many people have thoughts about it being hazardous, like, is petroleum jelly flammable?
No, petroleum jelly is by nature non-flammable. Instead of lighting a fire, they can be used to mitigate it. As they contain mineral oils, they are often mistaken by people as flammable. They can at most be decomposed at really high temperatures.
Let us know further!
Also Read: Check out our other article about What Oils Are Flammable?
Is white petroleum jelly flammable?
People often make a big mistake as taking the petroleum to be flammable. Yet, at the same time, oil or white petroleum jelly is one of the most non-flammable substances.
White Petroleum jelly is a direct form of minerals extracted from the earth which contain hydro-carbon in its structural formula. There remains the presence of various natural oils and fats. Sometimes, with the company of oils, people mistake petroleum as flammable.
Petroleum jelly can be used to mitigate fire instead of catching flame. This is because they are the most incombustible type of component in solid-state by origin. The reasons for petroleum to not catch on fire are depended on many things:
- White petroleum jelly is a pure non-renewable natural compound that does not hold the tendency of catching flame.
- They are made from the combinations of minerals, oils, and various waxes, which are non-reactor of fire.
- The burning point of the jelly is also relatively high, for which it goes through hard times for catching on flames.
- The jelly also contains various insulators of the flame that makes it tough to burn.
Oxygen and Vaseline: a dangerous combination or a myth?
There are many confusions on whether the combination of oxygen and Vaseline is hazardous or it is just nothing but a myth. To understand this, a list of things should be brought under consideration.
To perform a successful ignition, some basic principles are must be followed. The presence of three substances that includes oxygen, fuel, and heat are all the way to go for a perfect recipe to catch on fire. So, if the combination of oxygen and Vaseline are dangerous or not can only be identified by considering the constituents of the fire.
The presence of all the three elements for catching a flame that is the oxygen, fuel, and heat, can ensure the outcome of the combination:
- Oxygen is one of the three elements of the fire without which a fire can never be continued. The oxygen itself is not flammable, but it contributes to the fire by increasing the combustion rate. So the mixture of oxygen and Vaseline ensures enough speed of combustion gearing up the fire.
- The importance of a source of fuel is a must in making a fire. A fuel source is a frame for a fire to fit on and continue its burning. The fire cannot be lighted in the air, for which the necessity of fuel is vital. Petroleum jelly can work as a fuel in the combination of oxygen and petroleum.
- Finally, a fire starts to get lighted with the application of heat through lighters, match-sticks, magnifying glasses, or else. Applying some external heat is not unusual in the combination of oxygen and Vaseline to cause a fire.
The final verdict is that a combination of oxygen and Vaseline is not a good idea and should be avoided. Vaseline should not be applied to the nose area where the presence of oxygen can cause burning.
Also Read: Can I Put Essential Oils In The Dryer?
How do petroleum jelly cotton ball fire starters work?
Petroleum jelly cotton ball fire starters work simply with the benefits from the incombustibility of petroleum jelly. Solid or liquid petroleum is not flammable, but it still works as the fuel for starting a fire. This happens in a very mannerly way.
The complete steps of the working of petroleum cotton ball fire starters are mentioned below:
- First of all, petroleum jelly is placed inside a cotton ball. Then the cotton balls are made ready to throw into the fire and burned.
- With the burning of the cotton balls, continuous heat is absorbed by the petroleum jelly that melts them and turns them into liquid forms. This liquid forms get saturated with the cotton ball and make the ball retarded to burn on the fire. This provides long time effectiveness for the fire to continue its burning.
- A further heat to the liquid petroleum makes them boiled and turn into gases. This gas works as the main component for the fueling of fire. Continues gas tends to emit slowly and keep the fire fueled up for a test of time.
Conclusion
Petroleum jellies are non-flammable even before extracting them from the mines underneath the soil. Their solid hydro-carbon bonding resembles their feature and enables them to sustain in extreme weather. You can check for yourself throwing them into the flames, whether they are flammable or not!
