MIX Flashcards
Geothermal Energy Environmental Effects
Fluids drawn from underground carry a mixture of gasses which pollute air
Water from geothermal sources may hold in solution trace amounts of toxic elements such as Mercury,
Arsenic, Boron, and Antimony
Cause geological stability
Types of oil
petroleum
crude oil
oil shale - a rock that contains kerogen
Tar sands -mixture of sand , water ,clay & bitumen
Fossil fuel detection
Gas chromatography
Photo ionization detection
Ground - penetrating radar
Optical remote sensing
Modern Oil Detection
(1) A signal is sent into the rock by a vibrator truck
(2) The reflected waves are received by geophones
(3) The data is transmitted to a laboratory truck
Types of oil extraction
1.Water flooding - pump watertowash the oil out (it leaves a big chunk still)
2.Thermal Extracton (injection of steam to make the oil hotter and then less viscous so it flows )
3.Chemical Extraction(polymer to break down large oil molecules )
Clean Coal
is a term that refers to technologies and
methods aimed at reducing the environmental impact of
coal-fired power plants
capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions,
reducing air pollutants, and increasing the efficiency of
coalbased power generation.
We can continue to use coal as we always did for
a couple hundred more years since we are
putting all the carbon dioxide back into the
ground
Ecological effect of dammed reservoir
1.causes the upstream side to flood large
areas of land, disrupts fish spawning activities, and changes the
characteristics (temperature, oxygen content, and silt content)
of the downstream water.
2.Dams also come with the risk of structural failure and the resulting severe downstream flooding
VORTEX HYDROELECTRICITY
When you place obstacles in the path of flowing water, it creates
vortices or small turbulent spinning movements within the
fluid
By placing fins in sequence, the vortex energy that is created by the wake of one fin is transferred to mechanical motion by the next fin downstream. This in turn generates a sustained feedback loop and maximizes the efficiency of the system
BIOGAS AND LANDFILL GAS
Biogas is created through the breakdown of any organic
material (biomass) in an oxygen-poor environment. The
resulting gas by-product is mostly methane and carbon
dioxide.
syngas
Syngas is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen that
is created by partially combusting (in a medium-low oxygen
environment)
ENV impact of solar power
Air - Far fewer ghg emissions than from coal /fossil fuel but some from manufacturing , material transportation installation and so on (life cycle emissions
Water - PV panels dont use water but consentrating solar power with we cooling requires large amount of water
Land- use large areas , caqn impact wilderness and cause habitat disruption ad also can cause the soli to erode.
EVN impact of wind power
Air - as solar
wind - in operation none is used but some rare metals used in manufacturing comes from china by minning those metal out and minning canpollute air and water
land - same as solar
wild life - birds and bats can be killed , habitat destruction
human - some people dont like the sight nor the sound of a wind turbine
ENV impact of hydropower
Air - GHG is emitted during instalation and dismantling of those power plants
whenland is flooded the soli decomposes and realeses ghg
water - resrvoir water is stagnant and canuse eutropication whicb can cause the algae to grow
reservoir operater release water to perevent downstream from becoming low if that time takes long the flaura and fauna and habitant on the skirts of the stream maybe killed
wild life - fish and other animals can be killed by turbine blades
ENV impact of bio energy
Air - GHG emissions could be close to zero becauuse growiing plants captures co2 and then released i upon burning biomass so its net zero.
Water - the use of pesticides and fertillizers to enhance feedstock can pollute water
land - growing feedstock can consume large area of land
