Earth’s Resources

Earth’s Resources

• Most Energy Sources are nonrenewable

• Nonrenewable Resources– Used up faster than the Earth can replace them– Fossil Fuels

• Oil, Natural Gas, and Coal• Formed from the remains of swamp plants and other

organisms that were buried and altered over millions of years

Coal

Coal

• Most abundant fossil fuel

• Contains 50% plant remains

• Hydrocarbons can be extracted from coal to form liquid and gaseous synthetic fuels

• As decaying plant material loses gas and moisture, carbon concentration increases

Coal Formation

• Peat• Lignite Coal• Bituminous Coal• Anthracite Coal

(Cleanest Burning)

Oil and Natural Gas

Oil and Natural Gas• Oil is thick black liquid hydrocarbon• Natural Gas is a gaseous hydrocarbon that often

forms with oil, but above it, since it is less dense• Americans obtain most of their energy from oil and

natural gas• Natural Gas is used mostly for heating and cooking• Oil is used in many ways included

– Heating oil– Gasoline– Manufacturing

Fossil Fuel Removal

Fossil fuels are removed from the ground through mining or pumping

• Strip Mining (Open Pit)– Upper layers of rock and soil are removed to

expose coal– Used when coal deposits are near the surface

• Underground Mining– Tunneling, drift mines, slope mines

Strip Mining

Fossil Fuel Removal

• Oil and Natural Gas are under pressure, therefore they can be pump from the ground

Fossil Fuel Reserve

Reserves• Amount of fossil fuel that can be extracted at a

profit using current technology• Current Reserves of Coal

– 250 Years

• US reserves of Natural Gas– 60 Years

• Methane Hydrates (Located in ocean floor sediments)– Yield high amounts of carbon– May be a source of methane in the future

Conservation

• Conserving fossil fuels will help slow down the current consumption rate

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Energy• Produces Energy by

splitting an atom in a process called fission

• Nonrenewable• Produces Highly

Radioactive Waste• Must be stored in a

Container for 10,000 years

Nuclear Energy

• Fusion– Fusing of low-mass materials to form higher

mass substances– Potential Clean Energy Source– Current technologies do not exist to allow

fusion in a controlled manner

Renewable Energy Resources

Inexhaustible energy resources include:

• Sun

• Wind

• Water

• Geothermal

Solar Energy

Solar Energy

• Energy from the sun

• South facing windows can act as passive solar collectors, warming exposed rooms

• Solar cells actively collect Sun energy and convert it to electricity

• Solar energy is not readily useable on cloudy days or at night

Wind Energy

Wind energy uses windmills to generate wind

• Wind farm uses large number of windmills to generate electricity

• Few regions of the world have strong enough wind to generate electricity

• Wind does not always blow steadily, so it is unreliable energy source

Hydroelectric Energy

• Electricity is generated from running water flowing over dams

• Dams can create environmental problems

Geothermal Energy

• Energy obtained from hot magma or dry, hot rocks inside Earth

Biomass

Biomass Energy• Energy from burning organic material• Can be replaced in a short period of time• Examples

– Wood• Causes pollution and disrupts natural habitats

– Corn• Distilled into alcohol (Ethanol) added to Gasoline• Ethanol production uses more energy than it produces

– Trash• Air pollution and toxic ash residue