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Environmental Science 2000 > Fossil Fuels > Flashcards

Fossil Fuels Flashcards

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1
Q

what are some potential alternative energy sources to fossil fuels

A
  • geothermal energy from earth’s core
  • energy from gravitational pull of moon and sun
  • energy from ocean tides
  • nuclear power
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2
Q

where does most of our energy come from

A

sun

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3
Q

why is solar radiation important

A

helps drive atmospheric winds and hydrologic cycle which makes wind and hydroelectric power possible

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4
Q

fossil fuels

A

Highly combustible substances formed from the remains of organisms from past geological ages

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5
Q

what are the main fossil fuels

A
  • oil
  • natural gas
  • coal
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6
Q

since when has fossil fuels been the dominant source of fuel and WHAT did it replace at the time

A
  • industrial revolution
  • replaced biomass (fuelwood)
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7
Q

has the consumption of fossil fuels risen or fallen over the years

A

risen - reaches the highest levels ever NOW

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8
Q

renewable energy

A

sources of energy that are NOT depleted by our use

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9
Q

non-renewable energy

A

sources of energy that CANNOT be regenerated quickly enough to offset depletion

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10
Q

examples of renewable and non-renewable energy sources

A

renewable
- sunlight
- geothermal energy
- tidal energy

non-renewable
- oil
- coal
- natural gas
- nuclear power

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11
Q

compare the energy consumption in developing and developed nations

A

developing nations
- consume LESS energy
- more energy devoted to agriculture, food preparation and heating and LESS energy devoted to transportation
- rely more on manual or animal sources

developed nations
- consume MORE energy
- 1/3 used on transportation
- 1/3 on industry
- 1/3 on all other uses
- rely more on automated energy sources

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12
Q

does making energy take energy

A

YES - To harness, extract, process and deliver energy it requires substantial inputs of energy

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13
Q

net energy

A

the difference between energy RETURNED (consumable energy) and energy INVESTED to acquire it

(net energy = energy returned-energy invested)

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14
Q

EROI (Energy Returned On Investment) equation

A

usable energy returned / energy invested

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15
Q

what do higher EROI ratios show

A

acquire more usable energy from each unit of energy that was invested

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16
Q

what do EROI ratios of 1 mean

A

energy invested is the SAME as the energy acquired

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17
Q

why are fossil fuels so widely used

A

because they have a HIGH EROI ratio

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18
Q

what are fossil fuels used today formed from

A

tissues of organisms that lived 100 million to 500 million years ago

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19
Q

hydrocarbon compounds

A

Organic molecules dominated by hydrogen and carbon

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20
Q

Aerobic decomposition

A

Bacteria and other organisms that use oxygen break down plant and animal remains into simpler carbon-based molecules

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21
Q

do fossil fuels result from aerobic or anaerobic environment

A

ONLY anaerobic environment (environments with little to no oxygen)

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21
Q

Kerogen

A

Oil precursor that results from the accumulation of organic matter at the bottom of water bodies that undergo decomposition and deep burial by sediment

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22
Q

how do fossil fuels form

A

when geothermal heating acts on the kerogen and alters both chemically and physically

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23
Q

what four traits determine the specific type of fossil fuel formed

A

a) Chemical composition of starting organic material

b) Temp and pressure material is subjected to

c) Presence of absence of anaerobic decomposers

d) Passage of time

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24
Q

what type of rock forms coal

A

sedimentary deposits found in terrestrial wetlands and shallow lakes

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25
Q

what type of rock forms oil and natural gas

A

rock formed from shallow marine sedimentary deposits (limestone)

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26
Q

what is coal

A

organic matter from WOODY PLANTS that was compressed under very high pressure to form dense, combustible and carbon-rich solid material

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27
Q

what fossil fuel has been used the longest

A

coal

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28
Q

what is the precursor to coal

A

peat

(Moist soil composed of anaerobically broken down organic matter)

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29
Q

how does peat turn into coal

A

peat is subjected to increasing pressures and temperatures which causes
a) thickness and moisture to decreases
b) Hardness increase
c) Colour changes from brown to glossy black

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30
Q

what are the locations where coal is found called

A

coal seams

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31
Q

what are the three grades of coal

A

a) lignite - lowest and softest grade of coal - least compressed

b) sub-bituminous and bituminous coal - produce steam for electricity

c) anthracite - highest grade - most compressed - has most energy

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32
Q

what are two major mining methods for coal

A

Subsurface mining for deep deposits

Surface mining for shallower deposits
§ Open pit mining
§ Strip mining

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33
Q

describe subsurface mining for coal

A

○ Shafts are dug deep into the ground
○ Networks of tunnels are dug or blasted out to follow the coal seams

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34
Q

compare the two types of surface mining methods for coal

A

a) open-pit mining
- Large excavations which are deepened and widened as mining proceeds

b) strip mining
- Heavy machinery removes earth in long, horizontal strips to expose the seams and extract coal
- Refilled with soil that has been removed

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35
Q

Negative impacts of coal mining on ecosystems

A
  • strip mining destroys large ranges of habitats
  • causes soil erosion
  • chemical runoff into waterways through acid drainage
36
Q

what are two pathways for clean coal technologies

A

Cleaner combustion
- Provide improvements aimed at making combustion more efficient and complete = cleaner

Gasification
- Creating clean synthetic fuels (syngas) from mixtures of crushed coal, methane, water vapor and other components
because gasifying or liquefying coal makes it burn cleaner and renders it more useful

37
Q

natural gas is primarily

A

mainly methane with varying amounts of other volatile hydrocarbons

38
Q

what fossil fuels provides 1/4 of total global commercial energy consumption

A

natural gas

39
Q

is natural gas cleaner than burning oil or coal

A

yes as it produces less pollution

40
Q

why is natural gas becoming more widely favoured as a fossil fuel

A

○ Easy to transport
○ Technologically versatile
○ Relatively clean burning
* Shipped long distances when converted to liquid natural gas (LNG)

41
Q

what are two ways to form natural gas

A

Biogenic gas
- created at shallow depths by anaerobic decomposition of organic matter by bacteria
- is generally PURE methane

Thermogenic gas
- Compression of organic material along with heating deep underground
- Contains small amounts of other gases

42
Q

describe the maturation process in natural gas formation

A

§ Carbon bonds in organic matter break and organic matter turns into kerogen

§ Further heat and pressure on kerogen = degrade complex organic molecules into simpler hydrocarbons

43
Q

why does natural gas often go to waste when extracted

A

as it escapes during extraction of coal and oil

(known as coalbed methane)

44
Q

what is the main process for removing natural gas from the ground

A

○ Fracturing technique involving pumping a fluid (water) under high pressure into the rocks to crack them

○ Sand or small glass beads are then injected to hold the cracks open once the water is withdrawn (proppants)

45
Q

what are some environmental impacts from fracking

A

○ Water-intensity of the process
○ Earthquakes caused by rock cracking
○ Additives to change the viscosity of the natural gas can escape and contaminate water supplies

46
Q

what is the world’s most used fuel

A

oil

47
Q

what is the most ABUNDANT fossil fuel

A

coal

48
Q

what are synonyms to oil

A
  • crude oil
  • petroleum
49
Q

how is oil produced

A

A fossil fuel produced by conversion of dead organic materials by heat and pressure that have been buried in MARINE SEDIMENTS

50
Q

what is oil (describe it’s structure)

A

A mixture of different types of hydrocarbon molecules characterized by carbon chains of different lengths

51
Q

why does the formation of oil have to take place in a specific range of depth (1.5 to 3 km deep)

A

a) At lower temps and pressures the organic matter would remain as kerogen

b) At higher temps and pressure natural gas might form instead of oil

52
Q

what are the principle conditions when oil is formed

A

Once formed, crude oil moves upward from its source rock and escapes into atmosphere however if prevented from moving upwards by impermeable layer of rock (cap rock) the oil collects in reservoir rocks

53
Q

determine the roles of economics and technology in the extraction of oil

A

Technology sets a limit on the amount of oil that CAN be extracted

economics determines how much WILL be extracted

54
Q

steps of the extraction of oil

A

exploratory drilling
- small, deep holes that are drilled prior to full scale extraction to see if the area is plentiful or not

Primary extraction
- Initial extraction of oil from the well
- Once the initial pressure is relieved the oil and natural gas become more difficult to extract and usually must be pumped out with increasing pressure

Secondary extraction
- Fluids are injected into the grounds to remove additional oil that could not be removed with primary extraction

55
Q

is secondary extraction of oil more or less expensive than primary extraction

A

more

56
Q

what stage of oil extraction has MORE of an impact on the environment

A

secondary extraction

57
Q

why does oil have different lengths of hydrocarbon chains

A

affects it chemical properties
(Different lengths of the chains dictate what the crude oil will be used for (gasoline for engines, tar and asphalt)

58
Q

what is refining in terms of oil production

A

Hydrocarbons are separated into classes of different sizes and chemically transformed to create fuels for heating, cooking, transportation and lubricating oils, asphalts…

59
Q

distillation of oil

A
  • Based on how different components of crude oil boil at different temps (colder boiling points at the top and hotter boiling points at the bottom)
    i. lighter components rise as vapour to upper trays where they condense into liquids as they cool
    ii. Heavier components sink to the lower trays
60
Q

Three types of unconventional fossil fuels

A
  • Oil sands (tar sands)
  • Shale oil and gas
  • Methane hydrates
61
Q

oil sands

A

Deposits of moist sand and clay that contain concentrations of heavy hydrocarbons more specifically BITUMEN

(Thick, black and naturally occurring form of petroleum that is rich in carbon but poor in hydrogen )

62
Q

what are some issues associated with bitumen in oil sand production

A

a) Bitumen is too thick to be extracted in conventional oil drilling methods (removed by strip mining)

b)Bitumen is too thick to transport by pipelines that are used to carry crude oil

63
Q

oil shale

A

A sedimentary rock that contains abundant kerogen

64
Q

how is the maturation process of oil shale different from crude oil OR oil sands

A

Formed by same maturation processes that form crude oil and oil sands but kerogen is NOT buried deeply enough (or subjected to enough heat) to fully mature into oil

65
Q

what is shale gas

A

Natural gas produced from shale by fracking

66
Q

Methane hydrate

A

A solid substance that consists of molecules of methane within a crystal lattice of water ice molecules

67
Q

Environmental impacts of alternative fossil fuels

A

a) Net energy values for these fuels are typically low since they are expensive to extract and process

b) pollute waterways and devastate landscape

c) Combustion of these fossil fuels emits at least as much carbon dioxide, and other air pollutants as fossil fuels

68
Q

Negatives of fossil fuels

A
  • Cause air pollution and drive climate change
  • Burning fossil fuels alters flux rates in carbon cycle
  • Methane is released from fossil fuel combustion (another GHG)
  • runoff contaminates waterways and freshwater ecosystems
69
Q

Impacts on terrestrial and aquatic environments of fossil fuels

A
  • Fossil fuels can pollute water and land and air
  • Oil from non-point sources eventually enters the ocean
  • Oil spills affect marine environments
70
Q

Energy conservation

A

The practice of reducing energy use to extend the lifetime of our non-renewable energy supplies, to be less wasteful and to reduce environmental impacts

71
Q

what are routes for energy conservation

A

a) Personal choice
(Make conscious choices to reduce our own energy consumption)

b) Increased efficiency
(2/3 of energy from fossil fuels is lost, as waste heat)

72
Q

electricity

A

secondary form of energy (aside from fossil fuels) that is easier to transfer and apply to a number of uses (when compared to fossil fuels)

73
Q

nonrenewable energy sources

A
  • crude oil
  • natural gas
  • coal
  • nuclear energy
74
Q

renewable energy sources

A
  • biomass energy
  • hydropower
  • wind energy
  • solar energy
  • tidal and wave energy
75
Q

what are Canada’s 3 BIGGEST sources of energy consumption

A
  • oil (31%)
  • natural gas (28%)
  • hydroelectric power (27%)
76
Q

when does the EROI ratio begin to DECLINE

A

when we extract the easiest deposits to reach FIRST and then we are left with harder deposits to extract which means we have to input MORE energy to extract the reserves

77
Q

Fossil fuels

A

combustible substances that have formed from remains of past organisms of previous geologic ages

78
Q

what are the three fossil fuels that are formed from the organic matter

A

natural gas
crude oil
coal

79
Q

what factors determines how long a nation’s reserves will last

A

a) how much the nation extracts (consumes)

b) how much it IMPORTS from OTHER nations (means the country relies on others for these resources)

c) how much it EXPORTS to other countries

80
Q

what nation has the most coal reserve of any other nation

A

USA

81
Q

3 different types of recoverable oil

A

a) technically recoverable oil
- oil that is able to be extracted with the current technology available

b) economically recoverable oil
- balance between cost of extraction, transportation and current price of oil

c) proven recoverable reserve
- oil that is technologically and economically feasible to remove

82
Q

R/P ratio for OIL

A

reserves to production ratio

(total remaining reserves / the annual rate of production)

83
Q

how many years do we have for each fossil fuel

A

coal - about 120 years

natural gas - about 60 years

crude oil - about 40 years

84
Q

how can bitumen from oil sands be transported easier

A

when converted to dilbit as it decreases the thickness of the oil and allows it to flow through a pipeline

85
Q

describe the EROI of alternative fossil fuel options

A

LOW energy return on energy invested

86
Q

what is carbon capture and storage

A

liquefied carbon dioxide is pumped into underground aquifers or depleted oil and gas deposits to possibly reduce harmful environmental impacts of fossil fuel use

87
Q

why are people skeptical of CCS

A
  • the tech is unproven
  • the true impacts of this are not completely known
  • it will increase acidification of ocean water/ground water

Environmental Science 2000 (10 decks)

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