3 - Non-renewable resources Flashcards
what is a resource? e.g.
Stuff we use to live
e.g. food, water, medicine, energy (electrical, heat)
What is a renewable resource? e.g.
Can be replenished over short periods of time
e.g. sunlight, wind, organic matter, soil, groundwater
What is a non-renewable resource? e.g.
Can not be replenished or take a very long time to be replenished
e.g. fossil fuels, minerals, aquifer water
Characteristics of non-renewable resources
- are present in finite quantity and do not regenerate after they are harvested and used
- as they are used, their remaining stocks in the environment become depleted
- non-renewable resources can never be used in a sustainable fashion, they can only be “mined”
Three principles of sustainability
- solar energy
- chemical cycling
- biodiversity
What is sustainability
the process of living within the limits of available physical, natural and social resources in ways that allow the living systems in which humans are embedded to thrive in perpetuity
What are fossil fuels
Highly combustible substances formed from remains of organisms that accumulate over time in sediments
Makeup of natural gas?
Mostly methane (CH4) with some additional volatile hydrocarbons
What is volatile? What are hydrocarbons?
Volatile = can become gaseous easily, have high vapor pressure
Hydrocarbons = organic compounds involving H and C
Two types of natural gas
Biogenic and thermogenic
What is biogenic natural gas
- formed at “shallow” depths
- formed via anaerobic decomposition of organic material by bacteria (outcome of activity from decomposers)
- more easily accessible, faster to form
What is thermogenic natural gas
- formed at deeper depths
- formed via compression and heating of organic materials
What is fracking
Natural gas extraction method
Hydraulic fracturing
Pump a water, sand and chemical mixture into well. Pressure from it causes terrain to fracture until gas is released
Pros and cons of fracking
Pros:
- get natural gas and other fuels that otherwise are locked up
- provides economic benefits to area (jobs, revenue source for community)
Cons:
- MASSIVE potential environmental implications (it can cause earthquakes, risk of groundwater contamination, risk of pond spills)
- loud and ugly
Top producers, exporters and importers of natural gas
Producers = united states, russia
Exporters = russia, qatar
Importers = China, japan
Example of a non-traditional natural gas source
Landfills: put organic waste into tanks, allow natural decomposition to occur, capture gas when released
Farms: cow manure collected and stored in large cement holding tank called digester. Manure sits at 101C for 21 days, methane rises to the top. Generator converts methane gas into electricity.
Problems with thermogenic natural gas
- getting harder to extract
- fracking-based methods can be dangerous to the environment and human health
- we are running out
What is coal
Organic material (with minimal decomposition) that has been so compressed it has become rock
What is peat
Coal precursor:
- compressed soil with decomposed organic matter (mostly decayed plants)
- under high pressure and heat, it undergoes physical and chemical changes and becomes coal
How was coal formed?
Plants that lived in swamps millions of years ago, accumulated after death in the soil/sediments
Over millions of years, the plant dead matter was buried under water and sediments (dirt)
Increasing heat and pressure as more sediments and rocks form above, turned the dead plants into coal.
Slides 29, 30
Uses of coal (heat, electricity)
Two methods of coal mining
- subsurface mining
- strip mining
Top producers, exporters and importers of coal
Producers = China, India
Exporters = Indonesia, Australia
Importers = China, India
Cons of subsurface and strip mining
Subsurface = very dangerous for workers
Strip mining = causes massive erosion and acid drainage (especially mountaintop removal)
