Fossiele brandstoffen

Fossil fuels

Now you're probably thinking: how strange that there is a text about fuels on a plants website... But did you know that this actually has everything to do with plants? Fossil fuels can be petroleum, natural gas, coal, lignite and peat. And today's plants could also become fuel in the distant future!
Fuel is a very popular topic in the media at the moment anyway, as fuel prices have skyrocketed. Did you know that fuel in the Netherlands sells for the highest amount at the pump in all of Europe? In the whole world, fuel is only more expensive in Hong Kong.
No wonder we cycle so much in the Netherlands. So it is not only good for the environment to leave the car at home, but also for your wallet.


The van in which my plants are sent.
DPD and UPS drive around with vans to deliver your package with plants. But before their diesel in the tank is converted into kinetic energy to deliver your beloved plants, petroleum is first extracted and converted into diesel.
Petroleum is a flammable liquid. It is formed from layers of plankton and other plants and animals that have died. These organic remains were formed in an oxygen-poor situation, where they did not completely decompose. Later, this layer of remains went deeper and the temperature rose to 100 degrees. This is the prerequisite for oil to form. So it took many years for nature to create petroleum at all.
Diesel cars are generally more economical due to more efficient combustion than petrol cars. This is because the fuel has a greater thermodynamic efficiency. In addition, a modern diesel car emits 10-20% less greenhouse gases. Moreover, most parcel services nowadays do their best to drive in a CO2-neutral way. So when you plan your deliveries well, it is even better for the environment than driving to the shop by car.


Peat for or made from plants?
Potting soil or substrate for plants is often mixed with peat because of its good properties. But did you know that this has also been a form of fuel throughout the years? In the Middle Ages, peat was used as a fuel on an increasingly larger scale due to the scarcity of wood as fuel in cities. Peat also originated in swampy peatlands. There, plants died off and this organic material became a very thick layer of peat after hundreds of years. The peat blocks were dried and then used for combustion.

But peat has another good property. It is very good at retaining water. That is why peat has been kept as a raw material for making potting soil since around the 1950s. Peat has a low pH value, which makes the mixture of potting soil a little more acidic.