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!