Fossil fuel energy (after midterm 2)

Question 1

What are environmental issue associated with bitumen/ tar sands?

Answer 1

• air pollution, bitumen releases hydrogen sulphide (H2S)
• land and habitat destruction - removal of boral forest, very little sites reclaimed properly.
• water use and pollution- lots of water used and leaking from tailings ponds occur (bioaccumulation a concern)
• climate change ( CO2 emissions.

Question 2

How is natural gas formed?

Answer 2

• 80% is formed from thermogenesis, similar formation to that of oil.
• 20% of natural gas is produced by biogenesis

Question 3

Why is natural gas much easier to extract than oil?

Answer 3

• gas moves freely through the reservoir, does not get stuck to surrounding bedrock
• because it is under pressure it does not require pumping equipment

Question 4

What are clathrates?

Answer 4

• gas hydrates
• water ice with gas, contains methanes within the ice lattice

Question 5

Where to methane clathrates occur?

Answer 5

• sediments below 0 degrees
• or 2 degrees beneath deep water
• widespread in deep continental shelf and slope environments

Question 6

What are the potential issues with methane clathrates?

Answer 6

• even tho it is a potential energy source, it is very dispersed for economic extraction
• very hard to extract as well, hard to detect
• major dangers of destabilization as well, and extraction may lead to huge release of methane to the atmosphere