Fossil Fuels

Objectives



Explain the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Give examples to illustrate

each law.


The first law of thermodynamics (law of conservation of energy) states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed. The second law states that the total entropy (randomness/disorder) of an isolated system always increases over time.


What is “flaring”? What are the tradeoffs of flaring? Why are some companies

voluntarily committing to reducing this practice?


Flaring is the practice of burning off excess natural gas during oil and gas extraction when it can’t be easily captured or transported. The tradeoff is that flaring reduces the risk of gas buildup and releases less methane than venting, but it still produces carbon dioxide and air pollutants that contribute to climate change and poor air quality. Some companies are voluntarily reducing flaring to lower greenhouse gas emissions, protect public health, meet environmental regulations, and improve their public image while saving gas that could be sold or used.


Describe physical, biological and chemical remediation approaches for an oil spill.


Physical approaches include booms that prevent the spill from spreading, skimmers which are boats or devices that act as vacuums to separate and remove oil, absorbents, and burning. Biological approaches include genetic engineered bacteria. Chemical approaches include dispersants that break oil into small droplets. 



Describe petroleum refining – what happens in a refining distillation column and

What products are created?


Petroleum refining is the industrial process of separating and converting raw crude oil—a complex mixture of hydrocarbons—into usable, higher-value products like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. 



Which air pollutants are emitted by the burning of coal?


Burning coal releases major pollutants: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, mercury, lead, and particulate matter (ash). These emissions cause acid rain, photochemical smog, respiratory illnesses, and climate change.  

What technologies can be used to reduce air pollution from coal?


Technologies to reduce air pollution from coal-fired power plants include scrubbers (wet/dry) for sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) to remove ash, baghouse filters to capture fine particles, and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) to reduce nitrogen oxides.


What pollutants are commonly created at a refinery? What are the effects of these

pollutants?


Refineries commonly release pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter, and carbon monoxide. These pollutants can cause respiratory problems, smog formation, acid rain, and cardiovascular disease, and some VOCs are linked to cancer. They also harm ecosystems by damaging plants, reducing air quality, and contributing to climate change.


How clean is “clean coal”? Describe coal washing and gasification. What are the

tradeoffs of this fuel?


“Clean coal” is not truly clean because burning coal still releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Coal washing removes impurities like sulfur and ash before burning, reducing air pollution, while gasification converts coal into a synthetic gas that burns more efficiently and with fewer pollutants. The tradeoffs are that these methods lower some emissions and increase efficiency, but coal remains nonrenewable, expensive to process, and a major contributor to climate change.

Note Review



Characteristics of Fossil Fuel Formation

  • Organic matter

  • Temperature

  • Time

  • Pressure conditions


Coal: ferns, plants, trees+pressure+heat

Oil: zooplankton, algae, plankton, microscopic marine organisms

Natural gas: zooplankton, algae, plankton, microscopic marine organisms+more heat and time than oil


Fossil fuels have many bonds, which means they have large amounts of energy.


Impacts of Oil Spills on Coastal economies

  • Damage to fisheries

  • Tourism damage

  • Real estate damage 


Effects of Sediment in Water

  • Reduced sunlight available to producers

  • Disrupts eggs and larvae 

  • Oxygen levels in water decrease 


Combustion of fossil fuels release CO2


Fracking: used to obtain natural gas from underground


Fracking Process

  1. Well is made with clay lining

  2. Vertical then horizontal drilling

  3. Pipe is inserted

  4. Fracking fluid is released (includes VOCs, sand)

  5. Gas flows out


Impacts of Fracking

  • Water containment

  • Release of VOCs into the atmosphere

  • CO2 emissions from machinery

  • Habitat destruction

  • Earthquake

  • Natural gas leaks


More carbon is being moved from underground to the atmosphere due to the extraction of fossil fuels.


Primary Oil Recovery: oil flows into well because of gravity and pressure differences between rock and well.

Secondary Recovery: hydrocarbons must be forced out using water or CO2 to maintain pressure


Peat->Lignite->Bituminous->Anthracite 


Lignite is the least valuable, while anthracite is the most valuable due to its high heat capacity.


Natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel as it releases the least amount of emissions. It still releases CH4, methane.


Cogeneration: fuel source used to generate both heat and electricity


Deepwater Horizon Disaster

  • Caused by blowout preventer and cement casing failure

  • Oil flowed in the gulf of mexico for 5 months

  • Damage to fisheries, marine wildlife, and coastal economics


Exxon Valdez Incident

  • Oil supertanker ran into fleet in alaska

  • Harm to salmon fisheries, sea otters, and orcas

  • Lead to the requirement of double hull oil tankers


Impacts on wildlife

  • Ingestion of oil

  • Impedes flight

  • Hypothermia

  • Breathing fumes 


Coal->Heat->Steam->Turbine->Electrons


Coal mostly comes from the rocky or Appalachian mountains in America.


Subsurface: tunneling deep into earth

Strip-mining: removing surface layers of earth

Mountain-top removal: extreme surface mining


Refining: removing impurities from a substance



Environmental impacts of mining

  • Topsoil erosion

  • Deforestation

  • Temperature increase

  • Lack of oxygen

  • Greenhouse gas emissions

  • Water contamination

  • Chemical leaks

  • Turbidity (cloudiness and murkiness of water due to sediment) and sediment in nearby steams

  • NOx and O3 emissions from machinery 

  • Acid mine drainage of sulfuric acid


Subsurface mining is expensive and only used when ore is hard to access.


Mine reclamation

  • Fill empty mine shafts

  • Restore original contour and topography of land

  • Restore topsoils without acid or tailings

  • Replant native plants and restore community as close to the original land as possible