Non-rewnewable energy

Nonrenewable Energy: The Fossil Fuels

The Carboniferous Period

Characteristics of the Carboniferous Period

About 350-300 million years ago, where most of the Earth was ideal for plant growth.

Climate was warmer, glaciers were smaller and pulled away, and most of the land mass was found

Modern Coal Deposits

Today, the countries with the greatest coal deposits line up with the locations of largest carboniferous swamps – North America, Northern Europe, and Asia.

Formation of Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels were formed hundreds of millions of years ago, from organisms performing photosynthesis (mainly plant life!)

After death, these organisms ended up in an anaerobic environment, where their organic matter was converted by heat and pressure into a fossil fuel

Overview of Coal:

Chemical Composition of Coal

Coal is about 90% carbon, 4% hydrogen, and 3% oxygen, and about 1% sulfur. This is similar to the chemical composition of plants..

Due to the high amount of Carbon present in the coal, this makes it a fantastic source of heat to generate electricity.

Types of Coal

There are 4 main types of coal we use, with all 4 types, forming originally from Peat, then with increased heat and pressure it becomes the different types.

Lignite

Lowest grade of coal with least amount of carbon

Releases a low amount of heat (heating value) and is high in moisture

Subbituminous

Slightly above lignite in terms of grade

Low - Moderate heating values

Bituminous

Middle grade coal with moderate amount of Carbon

High heating value

Anthracite

Highest grade of coal

Has the highest percentage of Carbon and lowest percentage of volatile materials.

Coal Use

During the Industrial Revolution, the demand for coal increased dramatically as this is when steam engines were developed which relied on the easy use of coal.

Today, coal is almost exclusively used for generating electricity.

Coal Power Generation Process - YES YOU MUST KNOW THIS!

Once the coal is extracted, its potential energy is converted to electricity in a power plant by using (roughly) the following steps:

The coal is pulverized into a powder to increase the amount of surface area so we can get the most heat out of the coal.

The cowl powder is then blown into the boiler, where it is ignited to generate heat.

The heat from the boiler converts water into steam.

Pressure from the steam causes a giant set of turbine blades to spin.

The shaft of the turbine is connected to a generator, where magnets spin within wire coils to generate electricity.

Pollution from Coal Power Plants

Coal-burning power plants are the largest source of mercury contamination.

Methylmercury falls to all earth surfaces once emitted to the air.

Highly toxic neurotoxin that accumulates in tissues.

Air Pollutants from Burning Coal

When coal is burned for fuel, it combines with oxygen in air to form several air pollutants, including:

Carbon dioxide, CO2

Sulfur dioxide, SO2

Nitrogen oxides, NOx

Fine black particles of carbon (soot)

Health Risks Associated with Coal

Coal dust can build up in the lungs over long periods of time, causing Black Lung disease.

Byproducts of Coal Burning

Burning coal also produces a great deal of leftover ash.The ash contains toxins and heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, and radioactive radium.

Disposal of Coal Ash

The ash is usually mixed with water, to minimize dust, then pumped into a temporary storage pond.

Eventually, 70-80% of this ash is disposed of in landfills. The rest is used in concrete, asphalt, and other applications.

“Clean” Coal

To help with the issues of air pollution and the production of ash from coal power plants, people have been looking for ways to make coal burning power plants “cleaner”

The main goal is to completely rid the emissions of CO2 to make it more comparable to a zero-emission energy source such as nuclear

To do this, we can add technology and updates to current coal power plants to sequester the carbon emissions to store, and even systems to better prepare the coal, and even clean up the ash in a more sustainable way./

The main issue with clean coal is the technology and development is currently too expensive for commercial level use, so it is not implemented heavily across coal power plants worldwide

Oil: Formation and Extraction

Formation of Oil

Like coal, most of the oil on Earth was formed millions of years ago.

Certain warm shallow seas, such as the Gulf of Mexico and Tethys Sea, were so ideal for life that organic material was formed faster than it could decompose.

Oil Reserves and Distribution

The present day distribution of oil lines up with these ancient shallow seas from the carboniferous period

Majority of oil reserves are in Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, etc/

Distribution of Oil Reserves:

Oil Composition and Use

Oil is very similar to coal in terms of its chemical composition.

Mostly carbon, but also has more hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur

Being a liquid, we can distill (separate) oil into different fuels and materials like diesel, kerosene, plastic, waxes, etc.

Oil Extraction Process

As a liquid, oil can be pumped directly out of the ground

A long drill is used to bore deep into the Earth to reach the deposit.

The hole is lined with a steel pipe and cement. The top is outfitted with collection pipes and valves.

Oil Spills and Their Impact

Consequences of Oil Spills

Oil spills are devastating to marine life as it penetrates through the fur and feathers of animals, reducing their ability to fly, float, and insulate themselves.

Benthic organisms, living at the bottom of the sea, can be suffocated.

Notable Oil Spills

Exxon Valdez oil spill, 1987: Ship ran onto a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska and spilled 10.8 million US gallons of oil.

Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico: Explosion and sinking of the rig killed 11 people; well was capped on July 15, 2010 (87 days later), an estimated 3.19 million barrels (134 million gallons) of oil had leaked into the Gulf.

Natural Gas: Characteristics and Extraction

Composition of Natural Gas

Natural gas is actually a mixture of gases: 50-90% methane, smaller amounts of propane and butane.

Pollution from Natural Gas

One of the biggest advantages in natural gas is the relatively small amount of pollution produced by burning it.

The only two waste products are carbon dioxide and water vapor. And about 50% less carbon dioxide than coal and 25% less than gasoline.

Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)

Hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking', is a controversial technique used to extract natural gas from rock formations (such as shale) that are not very permeable.

Global Energy Consumption

Energy Consumption Statistics

The richest 20 countries consume nearly 80% of natural gas, 65% of oil, and 50% of coal production annually.

On average, each person in the U.S. and Canada uses more than 300 GJ of energy annually.

In the poorest countries of the world, each person generally consumes less than one GJ annually.