Reliance on Fossil fuels-Coal Oil and gas Flashcards
List the three fossil fuels
Coal, oil and gas
Describe the formation of oil and natural gas and how they are formed
300-400 million years ago, tiny sea plants and animals died and where buried on the ocean floor,
Over time they where covered by layers of sand and silt.
The remains got deeper and deeper over millions of years and pressure and the heat turned them into oil and gas
Describe how coal was formed
300 million years ago, giant plants dies in swamps,
The plants where buried under water and dirt and the heat and pressure over millions of years turned the dead plants into coal
Prior to fossil fuels, what did humans utilised as the main energy source.
Humans relied on energy that was generated from other humans and animals, commonly in the form of slavery.
What year did humans only start using oil and gas
Late 1800s
How much coal is left
There is an estimated 1.1 trillion tonnes of proven coal reserves worldwide which should last 150 years
Which country holds the most amount of coal and which country are the largest users.
USA has more coal than the rest of the world.
China are the main users of coal as they burned around 2.75 billion tonnes in 2013. Coal accounts for more than 65% of total energy produced in China.
What is coal used for.
Coal is mainly used for electricity generation, steel production, cement manufacturing and as a liquid fuel.
Disadvantages of coal
Coal gives out sulphur dioxide which leads to acid rain and gas pollution
What is natural gas used for.
Its used as an energy source for heating, cooking and electricity. It can also be used for vehicles and as a chemical feedstock in the manufacture of plastic and other organic chemicals.
Advantage of natural gas.
Natural Gas gives 30% less co2 emissions than oil and 43% less than coal, it also gives off a very little amount of sulphur dioxide which causes acid rain
What is oil used for.
Oil is used as petroleum products which include transportation fuels, heating and electricity generation. It is also used as asphalt and road oil.
Many chemical plastics and synthetic materials need oil to be produced.
What is the demand for oil
The average demand for oil is around 93 million barrels every day which works out about 34 billion barrels a year.
