Chapter 11 : Fossil Fuels Flashcards
The extraction of mineral and energy sources from deep underground deposits is…
is more expensive than other methods of extraction
T/F
Natural processes are still forming fossil fuels in the Earth’s crust
True
The process of removing sulfur or metals from polluted emissions or solid waste and selling it as marketable product is
Resource recovery
What is a carbon-rick rock formed from the conversion of non-decomposed plant material which was subjected to heat and pressure millions of years ago
Coal
T/F
In the case of fossil fuels, the energy and carbon accumulated over millions of years ago are now being released in just a few hundred years
True
T/F
Fluidized-bed combustion is less efficient than traditional coal burning
False
The combustion of coal as an energy source…
releases harmful mercury into the atmosphere
As oil and natural gas reserves are exhausted
the use of alternative energy sources will increase
One of the worst spills in Europe’s history
involved the oil tanker prestige
A liquid or gaseous fuel that is synthesized from coal and other naturally occurring resources and used in place of oil or natural gas is termed
synfuel
The recent release of CO2 from the combustion of fossil fuels has lead to
a disruption of the earth’s CO2 euqilibrium
T/F
Every gallon of gasoline burned in an automobile releases an estimated 9 kg (20lb) of CO2 into the atmosphere
True
The removal of carbon from fossil-fuel combustion and subsequent storage of the carbon underground is referred to as
None of these terms fit the definition
A mixture of energy-rich gaseous hydrocarbons (primarily methane) that occurs, often with oil deposits, in earth’s crust best describes
natural gas
Underground geological structures that tend to trap oil and natural gas are termed
Structural traps
T/F
Burning of fossil fuels represents the completion of the carbon cycle
true
The digging of a trench to extract mineral and energy resources near earth’s surface is referred to as
- Surface mining
- Strip mining
The burning of oil and natural gas
All of these choices are correct
Coal, oil, and natural gas
Are remnants of prehistoric organisms that existed millions of years ago
Hard coal, produces the fewest pollutants per unit of heat released; burns most cleanly because it is not contaminated by large amounts of sulfur. It has the highest heat-producing capacity of any grade of coal
Anthracite coal
T/F
Bitumen is sedimentary “oily rocks” that contain a mixture of hydrocarbons
False
A black, combustible solid composed mainly of carbon, water, and trace elements found in Earth’s crust; formed from the remains of ancient plants that lived millions of years ago.
Coal
Fluidized-bed combustion is
A clean-coal technology in which crushed coal is mixed with limestonen to neutralize the acidic sulfur compounds produced during combustion
T/F
Coal liquefaction is the technique of producing a synthetic gaseous fuel (such as methane) from solid coal
False
Reserves of ice-encrusted natural gas located in porous rock in the arctic tundra (under the permafrost) and in the deep-ocean sediments of the continental slope and ocean floor are called
Gas hydrates
A type of surface mining in which a trench is dug to extract the minerals, then a new trench is dug parallel to the old one; the overburden from the new trench is put into the old trench, creating a hill of loose rock known as a spoil bank
Strip mining
A soft coal, brown or brown-black in color, with a soft woody texture. It is moist and produces little heat compared with other types of coal. It is often used to fuel electric power plants
Lignite
An underground sand deposit permeated with a thick, asphalt-like oil
Bitumen
T/F
Also known as Hubbert’s Peak, Peak Oil is the point at which global oil production has reached a maximum rate
True
Synfuels
Liquid or gaseous fuels that are synthesized from coal and other naturally occurring resources and used in place of oil or natural gas
T/F
Wood has a lower energy density than coal does
True
T/F
A structural trap is the extraction of mineral and energy resources from deep underground deposits
False
T/F
Carbon capture and storage is the removal of carbon from fossil-fuel combustion and storage of the carbon, usually underground
True
Resource recovery
The process of removing any material – sulfur metals, for example – from polluted emissions or solid waste and selling it as a marketable product
The most common type of coal, also called soft coal. Much of this coal contains sulfur, a chemical element that causes severe environmental problems when the coal is burned in the absence of pollution-control equipment. Nevertheless, electric power plants use this coal extensively because it produces a lot of heat
Bituminous coal
Sedimentary “oily rocks” that contain a mixture of hydrocarbons
Kerogen
A thick, yellow to black, flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture found in Earth’s crust; formed from the remains of ancient microscopic aquatic organisms is called
oil
T/F
Surface mining is the extraction of mineral and energy resources near Earth’s surface by first removing the soil, subsoil, and overlying rock strata (i.e., the overburden)
True
T/F
Gas hydrates are a mixture of energy-rich gaseous hydrocarbons (primarily methane) that occurs,often with oil deposits, in Earth’s crust
False
Acid mine damage
pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dissolved materials wash from coal and metal mines into nearby lakes and streams
acid deposition
a type of ail pollution in which acid falls from the atmosphere
Carbon capture and storage (CCS)
the removal of carbon from fossil-fuel combustion and storage of the carbon, usually underground
Peak oil
the point at which global oil production has reached maximum rate
Hydrologic fracturing
extraction of natural gas that is tightly bound in shale deposits by applying chemicals and water under high pressure
Deepwater horizon spill
- 23 days of spill
- 5 million barrels spilled
- second largest spill to Persian Gulf war
5 synfuels
- Bitumen
- Kerogen
- gas hydrates
- coal liquefaction
- coal gasification
Pros and cons of fracking
- temporary energy before synfuel transition
- expensive
- don’t know chemicals used
- contaminate groundwater
