(ThyBlackMan.com) Diesel is often used to power vehicles, epically, military ones in the US because it is less at risk of combustion. However, there are many other uses for this substance as well. In fact, some are downright mind-blowing and weird. Read on to find out what they are.
Heating
It’s not weird, I’ll grant you, but a great deal of diesel is used for the heating of home and buildings. In fact, diesel and heating oil are pretty much the same thing.
Such systems work by burning the oil or diesel and to heat the water. Which then moves around our home keeping us warm and toasty, even when there is snow coming down outside!
Aviation
Diesel fuel is also used regularly in aviation, and jet fuel and diesel are incredibly similar. In fact, many commercial planes need ground power units to supply them with diesel to operate when on the tarmac or in the hanger.
Luckily, they are products like this portable ground power unit on the market that can cater to this need. Something that can be very useful if you are in a situation with tight space, but you still need to get that bird up and flying as soon as possible.
Explosives
Of course, telling you exactly how to do this wouldn’t be responsible. However, you can rest safe in the knowledge that diesel can be included in an explosive recipe, one that used to be used by farmers to rid their land of old tree stumps!
Drilling fluids
Another interesting and weird use for diesel is that it can actually be used as lubrication in drilling. Diesel isn’t used alone for this task though, and it is usually combined with salt water to create a muddy type solution that can help stop industrial rock drill bits catching and overheating. Something that is apparently quite common due to the tremendous force, pressure, and speed involved in mining or clearing natural rocks and minerals.
Extracting Palladium
Lastly, and perhaps most strange of all is the use of diesel to extract palladium from nuclear waste. Palladium is a much sort out silver-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. It is used in all kinds of applications including three-way catalytic converters in cars, jewelry such as engagement and wedding rings and even in dental work and fillings. Of course, not many people know that it is extracted from what is known as high-level nuclear waste!
The process of extraction is very labor intensive, and you can find more about it here. However, an essential element in this process is diesel which is used to help separate the liquid nuclear waste so the Palladium can be more easily extracted.
Conclusion
So, there we have it! Diesel is used for far more than just as vehicle fuel! Something that certainly highlights the problem that is the dwindling supply of fossil fuels and the need to do something about this as quickly as possible.
In fact, unless we can find alternatives for all of these uses above, they may end up disappearing altogether. Something that is sure to have a massive impact on many industries, and even our quality of life at an individual level.
Staff Writer; Larry Brown