Lecture 3: Non-renewable resources Flashcards
resource=
anything we use to live/ live comfortably
- eg food, water, medicine, electricity
renewable resources=
give examples
can be replenished over short periods of time
- sunlight
- wind
- organic matter
- ground water
non-renewable resources=
give examples
cannot be replenished or take a very long time to be replenished
- fossil fuels
- minerals
- aquifer water (underground)
non-renewable resources can never be used in a ___ fashion… they can only be ____
sustainable
mined
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
fossil fuels=
highly combustible substances formed over remains of organisms that accumulate over time in sediments (get compressed and turn into fossil fuels)
Fossil fuels are _____ resources
What are the 3 main fossil fuels?
non-renewable
- gas
- coal
- oil
natural gas=
mostly methane (CH4) with some additional volatile hydrocarbons (organic HC compounds that can become gaseous easily- has high vapour pressure)
What are the 2 types of natural gas
- Biogenic
- thermogenic
explain how biogenic natural gas is formed
-formed at shallow depths
- formed via anaerobic decomposition of organic material by bacteria
explain how thermogenic natural gas is formed
- formed at deeper depths
- formed via compression and heating of organic materials (under sediments that eventually turn into rock)
what are the 5 steps of modern natural gas extraction (drilling) ?
- water acquisition
- chemical mixing
- well injection
- flow back and produced water (wastewaters)
- gas naturally moves up in the well b/c of pressure - wastewater treatment and waste disposal
pumpjacks pump out ___ and ___ (at the same time)
oil and gas
how does fracking work to extract natural gas?
water, sand, and chemicals are injected into the well
- this cracks the rocks that contain the natural gas
- gas flows out of the well to the surface
What are 2 pros of hydraulic fracking to extract natural gas?
- get natural gas/ other fuels that are otherwise locked up
- provides economic benefits (jobs, revenue for community)
what are 2 cons of hydraulic fracking to extract natural gas?
- potential environmental implications
(earthquakes, groundwater contamination- can’t control where cracks occur, pond spills) - very loud and ugly - can’t build close to cities
What are 2 non-traditional natural gas sources?
- Landfills
- Farms
how is natural gas produced in landfills (landfill gas)?
produced when organic material is in the landfill & breaks down under non-oxygen conditions
- 50% methane and 50% CO2- can turn landfill gas into electricity
problem: methane is poisonous! and explosive
How is natural gas produced on farms?
“cow power”
- manure collected and store in tanks (“digesters”)
- manure sits in digesters at 101F for 21 days
- methane gas rises to top of tank
- generator converts the methane gas into electricity
What are 3 problems with thermogenic natural gas?
- it’s getting harder to extract
- fracking-based methods can be dangerous to enviro & human health
- we’re running out!
___ ___ has the lowest CO2 release of all fossil fuels
BUT…
natural gas
but methane is released
coal=
organic material (with minimal decomposition) that has been so compressed it has become rock
the precursor to coal is ___
what is it?
peat
= compressed soil with decomposed organic matter (mostly decayed plants)
- under high P and temp, it undergoes physical & chemical changes to become coal
the precursor to coal is ___
what is it?
peat
= compressed soil with decomposed organic matter (mostly decayed plants)
- under high P and temp, it undergoes physical & chemical changes to become coal
the precursor to coal is ___
what is it?
peat
= compressed soil with decomposed organic matter (mostly decayed plants)
- under high P and temp, it undergoes physical & chemical changes to become coal
the precursor to coal is ___
what is it?
peat
= compressed soil with decomposed organic matter (mostly decayed plants)
- under high P and temp, it undergoes physical & chemical changes to become coal
the precursor to coal is ___
what is it?
peat
= compressed soil with decomposed organic matter (mostly decayed plants)
- under high P and temp, it undergoes physical & chemical changes to become coal
the precursor to coal is ___
what is it?
peat
= compressed soil with decomposed organic matter (mostly decayed plants)
- under high P and temp, it undergoes physical & chemical changes to become coal
the precursor to coal is ___
what is it?
peat
= compressed soil with decomposed organic matter (mostly decayed plants)
- under high P and temp, it undergoes physical & chemical changes to become coal
How was coal formed?
- plants that lived in swamps millions of years ago accumulated after death in soil/ sediments
- over millions of years, the dead plant matter was buried under water and sediments
- increasing heat and P as more sediments form above turn the dead plants into coal
when peat is under high heat/ pressure, but not yet coal, it is called:
lignite
What are the 2 types of coal mining?
explain each
- subsurface mining
- traditional technique
- dig or blast out the coal
- used in Nova Scotia- there have been accidents - Strip mining
- for deposits closer to surface (most common in CAN)
- remove everything above coal to get to it
- safer for workers, but bad enviro effects
The problems with mining coal:
- Subsurface mining is very ___ for workers
- Strip mining (esp mountaintop removal) causes massive ___ and __ drainage
dangerous
erosion
acid drainage
how is aid mine drainage produced?
= outflow of acidic water from mines
- sulfuric acid is produced when material/ rocks containing sulfide compounds are exposed to the elements (esp air).
- caused by all types of mining
- can leach metals from soils into water
____ produces the highest amount of CO2 per unit heat produced
coal (no matter which type of coal)
what is clean coal?
NOT that clean, just cleaner
- uses methods to reduce the amount of SO2 and NOx emissions
how and when was oil discovered?
1858
were looking for water, found oil (discovered by accident!)
oil and gas are formed by:
sediments in a marine enviro
- anaerobic decay and kerogen formation, then kerogen turns into fossil fuels
explain the depths of kerogen, gas, and oil
kerogen: found near surface (0-5km) small quantities of early methane
- subsurface process= diagenesis
oil (complex H-C): 2-5km deep
- subsurface process= katagenesis (zone of oil generation)
gas (simple H-C, methane): Found deepest (3-6km)
- subsurface process= metagenesis
how is oil extracted
pump jacks
- oil is drawn up b/c oil is pressurized
- if pressure drops, need to pull up/ push with salt water
how is oil extracted
pump jacks
- oil is drawn up b/c oil is pressurized
- if pressure drops, need to pull up/ push with salt water
tailing ponds=
dumps of sandy chemicals used to extract the oil
* we don’t know exactly what’s being used! problematic
what is “peak oil”?
The Hubbert Peak Theory=
- point of max global production of oil
- oil production will eventually decline until all oil is depleted
- peak oil should be right about now
T/F
all metals are in unlimited quantities
false
limited!
the mining of diamonds and gemstones is done mostly in Canada’s ____
arctic
- destroying it :(
nucelar fuels decay through ____ into lighter elements, and use the released heat energy to produce ____ (and then ____)
fission
steam –> electricity
in-situ leach mining=
mining of nuclear fuels (uranium etc)
1. injection wells (pump chemical solution in)
2. recovery well (dissolved uranium pumped back to surface)
3. sent to processing plant —> uranium yellowcake
4. monitoring wells= checked regularly to ensure there’s no leaching (chemicals/ uranium) into the enviro
phosphate is mined as ___, but also for use in: (3 things)
ore
- inorganic fertilizers
- animal feed supplements
- pesticides
T/F
ALL mining is unsustainable
true
the only sustainable energy source is ___ energy (list 3 examples)
renewable energy
- wind
- hydro
-solar
