Lesson 6.1 Flashcards
a general term used to refer to all deposits of organic materials
capable of being burnt as fuels. These organic materials undergo burial, experience
changes in temperature and pressure conditions and are decomposed and altered
to form fuels. They can occur in the form of coal, oil, or natural gas.
Fossil fuel
is a carbon-rich deposit formed from dead plant material through the process
of coalification.
The organisms that form _ are usually trees, ferns, and other
plants that lived 300 to 400 million years ago, though there are much younger coal
deposits that exist. These dead organisms may have been deposited in swamps
covered by either saltwater or freshwater. Over time, buried remains experience
changes in pressure and temperature conditions that altered its composition.
coal
is a precursor to coal. Coal is formed due to physical and chemical
modification of _. _ are consist of accumulated plant materials in wetlands
which are broken down through _ification. Buried _ can be modified in
various coal ranks through coalification.
Peat
involves partial decay of plant debris in swampy, waterlogged
environments.
Peatification
results to the production of
different ranks of coal from peat - e.g. lignite to bituminous to anthracite coal
(Figure 1). The amount of carbon increases as the rank goes higher. In
contrast, higher rank coals have lesser amount of volatiles and moisture
compared to low-rank coals.
coalification
lowest rank of coal
It is brown in color and has an earthy, crumbly
texture. As opposed to what people normally think of a coal, lignites appear more
like of a dirt.
sedimentary rocks
lignite
is in between lignite and bituminous. It is one rank
immediately below bituminous coal and one rank above lignite. Sometimes,
bituminous coal is also termed as “black lignite”
Sub-bituminous coal
a medium rank coal. Its physical characteristics are generally
black, shiny, and hard
sedimentary rocks
Bituminous coal
is the highest coal rank. It is shiny and has a conchoidal fracture. Not all
coals reach the anthracitic rank because it requires too much heat from very deep
burial, tectonic and contact metamorphism.
metamorphic rock formed from sedimentary layers subjected to stress and
deformation
Anthracite
produces heat which can be utilized by power plants
heat turns water into steam, steam makes turbines rotate and generate electricity
mined though surface or underground
surface can scar
underground risks to human health and safety
air pollution, noxious sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, these gases produce acids, which fall to the ground as acid rain
coal
is a black, thick and mushy liquid. It is commonly
found between rock layers. A well is dug to obtain oil. To bring it to the surface, the
_ needs to be pumped. Then, it is transported in pipelines and huge tanker ships.
A refinery transforms the _ into products such as gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuel.
Moreover, electricity is produced when _ is burned in factories and power plants.
Oil, also known as petroleum
is formed deep within the Earth. It is made out of methane, the lightest
hydrocarbon. Just like oil, it is pumped on wells and transported to large pipelines.
Since _ _ is colorless and odorless, chemical is mixed to make it smell stinky
so that it will be easily detected when there is a leak. Out of other fossil fuels, _ _ is described as the cleanest energy alternative because it emits less
harmful by-products compared to other fossil fuels. Even if it is not as clean as
other renewable resources like wind and solar, many still prefer it because of its
abundance, low cost, and ease of utilization.
natural gas
Oil and gas were formed from different environments and organisms. Unlike coal
which is produced from the remains of trees and plants in swamps, oil and gas are
produced from remains of marine plants and animals in seas millions of years ago.
When organisms are buried in aquatic environments, their remains do not
completely decompose, and become integrated into the sediment. As these
sediments transform into rock, the organic matter components are converted to a
waxy substance, which when subjected to ideal amounts of heat, biochemical
activity, and time, will generate hydrocarbons in the form of liquid petroleum and
natural gas. The waxy substance is called
kerogen
refers to the kerogen-bearing rock layers where oil and gas originate.
Source rock
