Unit 6 APES (Non-Renewable and Renewable Energy)

non-renewable

• natural gas

• oil

• coal

• nuclear

potentially renewable

• wood

• biofuel

non-depletable

• wind

• solar

• hydroelectric

• geothermal

subsistence energy

• used mainly by developing countries

• gathered by individuals for their own immediate use

• straw, sticks, wood, animal dung (mainly biomass)

commercial energy

• used mainly by developed countries

• energy that is bought and sold

• fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas)

fossil fuels occur in…

• anaerobic conditions

  • Swamps / Wetlands

  • Lakes / Rivers

  • Ocean Floors

coal washing

• When coal is extracted, it may contain “impurities” like soil and minerals that are not desired – every gram costs $$ to the company.

• In order to create a high-quality product, coal processing plants (CPPs) will wash the coal prior to distributing it to coal-burning facilities.

• unfortunately, the soil removed also contains sulfur and heavy metals like arsenic, iron, and magnesium

• wastewater is held in pits or lagoons, which can release heavy metals and acidic water (reactions with sulfur) into surface and groundwater.

coal ash

• waste product of coal

coal advantages

• energy-dense

• plentiful

• easy to exploit by surface mining

• technological demands are small

• economic costs are low

• east to handle and transport

• needs little refining

coal disadvantages

• contains impurities

• release impurities into the atmosphere when burned

• trace metals like mercury, lead, and aresenic are found in it

• combustion leads to increased levels of sulfur dioxide and other air pollutants into the atmosphere

• ash is left behind

• carbon is released into the atmosphere which contributes to climate change

• habitat destruction

acid mine drainage

• Water react with coal creating sulfuric acid

• his water drains into surface waters

• leeches heavy metals from the substrate

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

(SMCRA of 1977)

• SMCRA covers all surface coal mining operations in the United States as well as the surface effects of underground coal mining.

• Coal preparation and processing facilities, coal waste piles, and those coal-loading facilities that are located at or near a mine site.

petroleum

• Mixture of hydrocarbons (carbon containing compounds), water, and sulfur

• Came from marine deposits (found in current and former coastal areas)

oil advantages

• convenient to transport and use

• relatively energy-dense

• cleaner-burning than coal

• refined to create many products

oil disadvantages

• releases CO2 into atmosphere

• possibility of leaks when extracted and transported

• releases sulfur, mercury, lead, and arsenic into the atmosphere when burned

• most at risk of running out

natural gas

• Created from remains of ocean-dwelling phytoplankton

hydrogen fuel cells

• H2 gas for fuel and energy

• red hydrogen

  • converting fossil fuels

• water electrolysis

• H20+H2+O yields energy and water

• eco-friendly and no air emissions

• cost is high and lack of infrastructure

hydroelectricity

• turbine in a dam (water wheel)

• run of the river: not all water going into system is being used or it goes around it

• creating mechanical energy from kinetic energy

• diverts water from big body of water to small channels

• renewable, constant power supply, high energy supply (doesn’t need sun or wind)

• methane emissions as a byproduct of decomposition, limits fish migrations, habitat loss

wind energy

• sun sends solar energy and heats up to create wind

• air closest to the surface will have the most energy

• higher up is colder

• taking convection current and turbine/windmill and a generator

• on top of mountains or hill areas creating elevation changes which are better for convection currents (Great Planes)

• renewable, easily accessible, small environmental impact, non-depletable

• very large, hard to transport, emissions, expensive, wind is not always predictable

nuclear energy

• power plants do not cause air pollution, not weather dependable, small fuel amounts lead to lots of energy

• uncertainty of safe location, heavy water consumption to cool the plants, costly and complex

• uranium

• control rods: raised on mechanical system, controls rate of reaction

• fuel rods: taking Uranium and make yellow cake

• Yucca Mountains in Nevada: huge hole in the ground to house nuclear waste, never been used

ethanol

• alcohol: stocks (corn, sugar cane)

• milled into meal, then liquidation, starch, starch is broken into sugar, fermentation (breaks sugar down into ethanol)

• taken to gas stations to power cars through fuel

• improved air quality, renewable energy, biodegradable, increased octane rating so less VOCs emitted, pretty accessible

• C2H5OH

• lower miles per gallon then gasoline, bad for engine, need specific engine, corrosive, uses a lot of land

• higher octane rating leads to less soot and hydrocarbons

• most cars use E10

• ethanol is added to oxygenate gasoline

solid biomass

• used for heating and electricity generation and as a transportation fuel

• Burning directly (most common method) or converted to liquid/gaseous fuels (Thermochemical, chemical, and biological)

• any organic matter or biogenic material

• renewable, limits physical waste, is a reliable source of electricity, does not disrupt carbon cycle the way fossil fuels do

• air quality declines, emits more CO2,

biodiesel