EnvSci 4th CQA Study Set

Heat

The key ingredient to generate electricity from coal

Coal

The fuel most commonly used in the US to generate electricity

Fracking

This is not a necessary step for converting coal into electricity

CO2, Mercurry, & Sulfur are released into the atmosphere, respiratory disease is a health problem due to

Using coal to generate electricity

Benefits of using coal as an energy source

low cost electricity, easy to distribute, easy to mine, easy to process

Hydrogen gas

Not an example of a fossil fuel

Oil, Natural Gas, Coal

Examples of fossil fuels

Crude oil, petroleum, and petrochemicals

Materials used to produce pesticides, plastics, soaps, medicines

Fracking or

Hydraulic Fracturing

A method of oil and gas extraction that uses high-pressure fluids to force open cracks in rocks beep underground.

Biofuels

Solid, liquid or gas that produces energy from biological materials. Fuels, such as ethanol or methanol, that are created from the fermentation of plants or plant products.

Nuclear power and Coal

Both of these produce heat which is used to boil water and generate steam used to generate electricity.

Energy which is sustainable or renewable

Energy which is replenished over a short time scale or is available in amounts which cannot be used up.

sustainable energy

Is renewable, has small environmental footprint, and is affordable to the customer

Biomass is reusable but not sustainable because

It creates pollution when burned, reduces the amount of habitat available when it is grown and harvested, will be harvested at greater amounts as world population grows.

Wind energy is imperfect

Wind is not constant, wind turbines can be expensive, wind turbines are noisy and not nice to look at, wind turbines can kill burds

Photovoltaic

Solar energy cells, usually made from silicon, that collect solar rays to generate electricity.

geothermal energy

Energy from steam or hot water produced from hot or molten underground rocks.

water pollution

the addition of any substance that has a negative effect on water or the living things that depend on the water

Bioplastics

plant-based plastics

nuclear energy

Energy released when an atom is split (fission) or combines with another to form a new atom (fusion)

Nuclear Fission

a nuclear reaction that occurs when a neutron strikes the nucleus of an atom and breaks it into two or more parts

Radioactive

atoms that spontaneously emit subatomic particles and/or energy

radioactive half-life

the time it takes for half of the radioactive isotopes in a sample to decay to a new form

fuel rods

hollow metal cylinders filled with uranium fuel pellets for use in fission reactors

control rods

rods that absorb neutrons and slow the fission chain reaction

Nuclear Fusion

Process of joining atoms resulting in the release of energy

Nuclear waste

radioactive waste material produced by nuclear power plants

nuclear chain reaction

the continued process of atoms splitting and releasing neutrons that trigger more atoms to split

Nuclear Reactor

consists of a core, control rods, moderator, steam generator, turbine, containment building.

Chernobyl

nuclear power plant that had an explosion in 1986 & released radioactive materials into the air

Heat

Nuclear power plants use this to boil water and produce steam to generate electricity

"Three E's" of sustainability

Environment (conservation efforts)

Economy (profits)

Equity (fair distribution of resources)

The greatest amount of electricity in the United States is generated using ____________________.

Coal