Fossil Fuels

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

The total entropy of an isolated system always increases over time.

Flaring

The practice of burning off excess natural gas during oil and gas extraction.

Tradeoffs of Flaring

Reduces risk of gas buildup and releases less methane than venting, but still produces carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

Physical Remediation Approaches for Oil Spills

Includes booms, skimmers, absorbents, and burning.

Biological Remediation Approaches for Oil Spills

Uses genetically engineered bacteria to help clean up oil spills.

Chemical Remediation Approaches for Oil Spills

Involves the use of dispersants that break down oil into smaller droplets.

Petroleum Refining

The industrial process of separating and converting raw crude oil into usable products.

Air Pollutants Emitted by Burning Coal

Includes sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, mercury, lead, and particulate matter.

Technologies to Reduce Air Pollution from Coal

Includes scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators, baghouse filters, and Selective Catalytic Reduction.

Common Pollutants at a Refinery

Includes sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, VOCs, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide.

Effects of Oil Spill on Coastal Economies

Includes damage to fisheries, tourism, and real estate.

Impacts of Fracking

Includes water contamination, VOC releases, CO2 emissions, habitat destruction, and potential earthquakes.

Cogeneration

A process that generates both heat and electricity from a single fuel source.

Clean Coal

Not truly clean; still releases CO2 and other pollutants despite methods like washing and gasification.

Characteristics of Fossil Fuel Formation

Includes organic matter, temperature, time, and pressure conditions.

Primary Oil Recovery

Oil flows into the well due to gravity and pressure differences.

Secondary Oil Recovery

Hydrocarbons must be forced out using water or CO2 to maintain pressure.

Mine Reclamation

Restoring land after mining, including filling mine shafts and replanting native plants.

Deepwater Horizon Disaster Causes

Caused by blowout preventer and cement casing failure during an oil drilling operation.

Exxon Valdez Incident

An oil supertanker accident that caused significant harm to marine life and led to regulatory changes.