energy and the environment Flashcards
what are fossil flues?
A carbon-based fuel, formed over many millions of years from the decay of living (plants and animals) matter.
explain the formation of peat and coal?
Peat forms in wetland (e.g. bogs) where plant material has not been able to fully decay due to acidic and anaerobic conditions.
Most modern peat bogs formed 12,000 years ago in high latitudes after the glaciers retreated at the end of the last ice age.
As peat gets covered, the pressure and heat
increase. At the right temp and pressure the peat slowly turns to coal. This takes millions of years
pros and cons of coal as an energy source?
Pros:
- Affordable (coal price stable due to abundance)
- Easy to burn and transport
- High energy on burning
- Reliable energy source
Cons:
- Produces large amounts of CO2, SO2, NO and
causes acid rain
- Non renewable
- Mining it can be dangerous
explain the formation of natural gas and oil?
Organic material (plant and animal debris/remains) falls to the bottom of the ocean, where it starts to rot.
Over time the decomposing matter starts to get covered by other layers of sediment (sand and soil).
As the layers build up, so does the pressure and temperature. Caught in an oxygen-free, high pressure, high temp environment, the remains are turned into oil and natural gas.
It seeps up through the permeable layers of rock until it reaches the surface or an impermeable layer of rock where it remains trapped and forms a reservoir.
why is there an increasing demand for energy resources?
Increasing demand- Industry, domestic, transport:
- increasing population size
- increasing industrialisation and urbanisation
- improvements in standards of living and
expectations.
Affecting factors: economic, climate
Reducing consumption: housing insulation, turn off
electrical devices/lights, energy efficient devices,
alternative fuels/energy from waste, financial
incentives/grants to upgrade to efficient technology/
cars/designs etc., educating population, transport/
building policies etc., - REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
what is energy resources supply?
Renewable: geothermal power, hydroelectric power,
tidal power, wave power, wind power, solar power,
biofuels, e.g. bioethanol, biogas, and wood.
Non-renewable: oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear power
(and sometimes wood)
what dose the term renewable mean?
An item or resource that will not be used up
or can be replaced.
what is electromagnetic induction?
A process used for generating electricity
that uses rotating, electricity-conducting,
metal coils placed close to a magnet.
Most electricity is generated this way.
whats a generator?
A machine that converts mechanical energy (such as movement) into electrical energy.
what is a turbine?
A machine, often containing fins, that is
made to revolve by the use of gas, steam or
air.
what is a burner?
A receptacle used to hold fuel as it is
burned.
what is a boiler?
A vessel used to heat water to convert it into steam
biofules cons?
Cons:
- 1st Gen pushes up the price of food left for
eating.
- Crops use a lot of water and land
- Mono-crop farming and fertilisers = soil erosion,
loss of natural ecosystems and extra N2O (nitrousoxide)in the atmosphere.
- Fossil fuels used in production of biofuels = GHGs
+ pollutants that affect local communities
- Algae need lots of H2O, N and P = fertilisers.
- Produce CO2 when burnt
