Suresh Bansal: “Biogenic and abiotic hydrocarbons“ | Tom Nelson Pod #237

2024-08-08

Suresh Bansal has spent ~40 years investigating the topic of biogenic vs abiotic oil. Some of his conclusions: 1. ~80% of current fossil fuel theory and ~80% of current abiotic oil theory is correct. 2. Both sides are ignoring the scientific evidence of the opposite side for the SAME oil deposits—the SAME oil deposit often contains a mixture of biogenic hydrocarbons and larger percentage of abiogenic hydrocarbons. 3. People sometimes use the term “organic” to refer to complex hydro...

Suresh Bansal has spent ~40 years investigating the topic of biogenic vs abiotic oil.

Some of his conclusions:

1. ~80% of current fossil fuel theory and ~80% of current abiotic oil theory is correct.

2. Both sides are ignoring the scientific evidence of the opposite side for the SAME oil deposits—the SAME oil deposit often contains a mixture of biogenic hydrocarbons and larger percentage of abiogenic hydrocarbons.

3. People sometimes use the term “organic” to refer to complex hydrocarbons, but the assumption that all complex hydrocarbons are biogenic isn’t true.

4. *Before* there was any life on Earth, a series of asteroid strikes created lots of abiotic hydrocarbons on Earth.

5. In conjunction with the series of asteroid strikes, a “gigafactory” involving lots of chemical reactions in the Earth’s atmosphere resulted in simple hydrocarbons being transformed into complex hydrocarbons which then rained down to the surface of the Earth.

6. A key compound in #5 may be tholin, a complex organic compound formed through the irradiation of simple organic molecules like methane and nitrogen, typically by ultraviolet light or cosmic rays. It's believed to be common in the outer solar system, particularly on bodies like Titan.

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast

01:43 Suresh Bansal's Background and Research

04:19 Debunking Biogenic Theory

10:18 Explaining Abiogenic Theory

14:06 Balanced Hypothesis and Giga Factory Explanation

22:50 Source Rock Misconceptions

26:56 Deep Drilling and Hydrocarbon Reserves

43:12 Challenges in Scientific Consensus

46:39 The Balanced Hypothesis: A New Perspective

48:45 Challenges and Debates in the Scientific Community

51:40 The Conspiracy Theory Behind Oil Prices

52:25 Russia's Deep Drilling and Scientific Papers