Since the Renaissance, certain surface deposits were distilled for obtain from lubricants and medicinal products, but this is towards the 19th century that the true exploitation of the crude oil began.

The oil which is also known under the expression "black gold" is a bituminous liquid which provides much more than the gasoline that we put in our cars. By definition, oil is a more or less viscous liquid of natural origin which is made of several organic chemical compounds. It consists a source of energy essence for our modern industrial civilization and by consequence it will be very difficult to imagine a world without oil!

Following the decomposition of marine organizations, oil was formed under the surface of the Earth and it is thus mainly made up of hydrocarbons. In its initial form, oil is practically unusable. It should be treated to recover...