Energy

nonrenewable energy

fossil fuels, (coal, oil, natural gas) and nuclear fuels

EROEI

energy return on energy investment

energy obtained/energy invested

formula to calculate EROEI

carboniferous period

period when fossil fuels were formed

coal

solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees, ferns, and other terrestrial plant materials

lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous, and antracite

4 types of coal

electricity

primary way coal is used in the US

mountain top removal

way to extract coal with less people needed to mine but destroys forests

energy dense, plentiful, low costs, little refining

coal advantages

mercury lead and arsenic

trace metals released when coal is burned

sulfure dioxide

combustion leads to increased levels of this with coal

SO2 (sulphur dioxide)

leads to acid rain

Hg (mercury)

pollutes rivers and streams and bioaccumulates in the food chain

particulate matter

causes respiratory disease

CO2 (carbon dioxide)

leads to climate change

petroleum

a mixture of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur that occurs in underground deposits

oil and gasoline

best fuels for mobile combustion

marine phytoplankton

where petroleum is formed from

porous rock underground

where crude oil is found

distillation, cracking, and removing

order of refing crude oil

distillation

separating the components of oil based on differences in boiling temperatures

cracking

using chemical reactions to alter the chemical structure of some of the components

removing

removing impurities like sulfur and nitrogen compounds

1.65 trillion barrels

amount of oil left

Hubbert curve

a graph that shows the point at which world oil production would reach a maximum and the point at which we would run out of oil

convienent, energy dense, cleaner burning

advantages of petroleum

releases co2, leaks, and trace metals released

disadvantages of petroleum

oil sands (tar sands)

located primarily in Venezuela and Alberta

oil shale

40% of world reserves located on federally owned land in western US

biogenic natural gas

created at a shallow depths via decomposition by anaerobic bacteria

thermogenic natural gas

similar geological origin to that of coal and oil, results from organic matter in a low oxygen environment being compressed and heated under the earth's surface, often found in association with oil or coal

few impurities, clean burning, high abundance

advantages of natural gas

ch4 escapes and new extraction technology pollutes

disadvantages of natural gas

fission

a nuclear reaction in which neutron strikes a relatively large atomic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts

uranium 238 and 235

the two naturally occurring isotopes of uranium

no air pollution and limits need for oil

advantages of nuclear energy

accidents and disposal

disadvantages of nuclear energy

704 million years

half life of uranium