APES 6.3 Fuel Types and Uses

Enduring Understanding:

Humans use energy from a variety of sources, resulting in positive and negative consequences.

Learning Objective:

Essential Knowledge:

Wood is commonly used as fuel in the forms of firewood or charcoal.
- It is often used in developing countries because it is easily accessible.
Peat is partially decomposed organic material that can be burned for fuel.
Three types of coal used for fuel are lignite, bituminous, and anthracite.
- Heat, pressure, and depth of burial contribute to the development of various coal types and their qualities.
Natural gas, the cleanest of the fossil fuels, is mostly methane.
Crude oil can be recovered for tar sands, which are a combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen.
Fossil fuels can be made into specific fuel types for specialized uses (e.g., in motor vehicles)
Cogeneration occurs when a fuel source is used to generate both useful heat and electricity.

Wood and Charcoal

Primarily used in developing countries
One of the oldest methods of energy production
- Used ever since humans first started making fires
- Charcoal is made from wood, and requires some processing/more steps
- The benefit, however, is that it burns hotter
Readily accessible and renewable if used sustainably
The removal of trees for energy can cause soil erosion
- This then leads to food security issues
Deforestation can decrease the amount of precipitation and CO2 sequestration

Partially decomposed organic material that can be burned as fuel
Would eventually turn into coal if given enough heat, time, and pressure
Using these fuels inside without proper ventilation can cause indoor air pollution and health problems

Peat turns into lignite coal
- This has a low heat capacity, low sulfur, and high moisture content
- Least valuable, is not as concentrated as the other types of coal
- Has many impurities and moisture so will produce smoke
Lignite turns into bituminous coal
- Most commonly used, high heat capacity, high sulfur
- Will release the most sulfur into the atmosphere (pollution, can cause acid deposition when mixed with water)
Bituminous turns into anthracite coal
- Best quality, high heat capacity, low sulfur content
- Takes the longest to make
- Has the least amount of impurities
All coals will release impurities but some have less than others

The cleanest fossil fuel
- It doesn’t release much emissions
- Very little sulfur, mercury, lead, etc.
It still produces CO2, just not other impurities
This is mostly methane
Natural gas is very light and is very easy to transport/distribute
- Doesn’t need to go through tankers, warehouses, trains, etc.
- Escape from pipes can be a concern, however

Crude oil can be extracted from tar sands, which are a combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen
- Tar sands are not an ideal method of sourcing oil, but because other sources are being depleted we have to turn to this
- We have to remove many other things in the sand to get to the oil which costs time, energy, and money

Crude oil and other fossil fuels can be made into specific types of fuels for specialized uses
- Such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, heating oil, etc.
Refineries are the location where this is done, and take advantage of different boiling points to make different fuels

Occurs when a fuel source is used to generate both useful heat and electricity
The heat that may be a byproduct of the electrical energy production can be used in other areas such as heating homes or water
This is more efficient, using all parts of the energy instead of letting the heat just dissipate into the world