U6L2 Extraction and Processing of Fossil Fuels

Question 1

Why is natural gas considered the cleanest fossil fuel?

Answer 1

It emits less carbon when used

Question 2

What is fracking fluid made up of?

Answer 2

This fluid is made of mostly water but also contains sand to keep the cracks open, as well as chemicals such as mineral dissolvers and disinfectants.

Question 3

What is fracking fluid used for?

Answer 3

Next, fracking fluid is pumped into the tunnel at such high pressure that it shatters the shale.

Question 4

What is shale

Answer 4

sedimentary rock composed of clay

Question 5

What happened at shale?

Answer 5

Where oil and natural gas occur

Question 6

What happens when the shale is shattered?

Answer 6

Oil or natural gas escapes

Question 7

What is released when natural gas and oil are extracted from the Earth? Why is this bad?

Answer 7

Methane–the primary component of natural gas–escapes. Methane damages the environment even more than carbon dioxide as it traps more heat, causing temperatures to rise.

Question 8

What is released when natural gas and oil are burned?

Answer 8

Carbon dioxide

Question 9

How much water is needed to make the fracking fluid for one well?

Answer 9

About 2-5 million gallons of water. This puts stress on local water supplies, especially areas with an already low supply.

Question 10

How does fracking fluid negatively affect the water supply?

Answer 10

The water supply can also be harmed by the fluid itself. When fracking tunnels crack from accidents or mishandling, fracking fluid can leak back into the water, polluting it.

Question 11

How is the storage of fracking fluids dangerous?

Answer 11

Used fracking fluid contains additional chemicals and radioactive materials from the earth. It is often injected into disposal wells deep underground for storage. This causes pressure imbalances underground, leading to earthquakes that can be felt and cause damage. Additional long-term storage effects are unknown.

Question 12

Why is extracting oil bad for the environment?

Answer 12

Like natural gas, extracting oil can result in methane gas leaking into the air.

Question 13

Why is offshore drilling not good for the environment?

Answer 13

Drilling under the ocean floor produces waste that can enter the surrounding ocean. The waste materials can harm animals and destroy marine habitats. In addition, mishaps with offshore drilling, such as oil spills, can result in devastating consequences to marine life.

Question 14

What caused the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

2010

Answer 14

An explosion happened on board, which eventually sank the oil rig into the Gulf of Mexico

Question 15

Over a 87-day period, how much oil spilled into the ocean?

2010 Gulf of Mexico

Answer 15

Million of barrels

Question 16

How was conducted the offshore drilling? Who owned it?

(2010 Gulf of Mexico’

Answer 16

The global energy business British Petroleum (BP), who was conducting the offshore drilling, along with Transocean (owner of the rig)

Question 17

Who was trying to minimize the spread of oil to beaches and other ecosystems?
(2010 Gulf of Mexico)

Answer 17

• British Petroleum (BP)
• Transocean
• government agencies

Question 18

What did the companies and agencies do to minimize damage on the ecosystems?
(2010 Gulf of Mexico’

Answer 18

They monitored controlled burns and used floating booms to both control the surface oil and break it down underwater.

Question 19

When was the leak capped? How were environments affected?

2010 Gulf of Mexico

Answer 19

By the time the leak was capped on July 15, 2010, over 3 million barrels (134 million gallons) of oil had flowed from the reservoir into the Gulf of Mexico, impacting 1,300 miles of shoreline along five states.

Question 20

How did the oil spill affect animals?

2010 Gulf of Mexico

Answer 20

The initial impact of the spill affected sea turtles and marine birds, as these animals feed and live on the surface of the ocean. As oil covered the surface, feeding for these animals became nearly impossible. Other marine mammals such as dolphins and whales come to the surface to breath. This became difficult as the oil spread. Many animals were exposed to the oil through ingesting contaminated materials or water, and through absorbing the containment through their skins. This caused many adverse health affects. As a result, six months after the spill began, it was reported that over 8,000 animals had died.

Question 21

How were ocean habits affected?

2010 Gulf of Mexico

Answer 21

Ocean habitats such as coral reefs and beaches were also contaminated by the spreading oil. Oil flowed into coral reefs, damaging or killing the coral.

Question 22

How were beaches and turtles affected?

2010 Gulf of Mexico

Answer 22

Oil flowed onto beaches along the coasts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, contaminating the sand and making the beaches inhabitable to animals such as sea turtles. This greatly impacted sea turtles’ ability to lay eggs on the beaches and reproduce.

Question 23

According to an Endangered Species Research special issue, there have been many long-term effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. What were some of these long-term effects on turtles cause of the oil spill?
(2010 Gulf of Mexico)

Answer 23

These devastating effects have impacted marine mammals and sea turtle populations throughout the Gulf and its coastlines. It was concluded that it will take decades for many of these species to rebound from the dramatic loss to their health and habitats.

Question 24

How did the oil spill affect animal that came in contact with the oil?
(2010 Gulf of Mexico)

Answer 24

Researchers have concluded that animals who came into contact with the oil experienced many adverse health effects. By studying different groups of marine mammals, they found that animals developed conditions such as organ damage and reproductive failure.

Question 25

Researchers found that animals developed conditions such as organ damage and reproductive failure. How was this evident in fishes and dolphins?

Answer 25

Their research suggests that fish exposed to oil lost cognitive function, making them more susceptible to predators. Species such as the bottlenose dolphin suffered a reduction in their survival and reproductive success in the years following the spill.

Question 26

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), after the spill, there was a ___ percent decline in the bottlenose dolphin population.

Answer 26

50

Question 27

Why is underground mining bad for the atmosphere?

Answer 27

Methane leaks are one environmental concern in and near mines.

Question 28

Why is underground mining bad for humans?

Answer 28

Methane leaks can cause air pollution as well as respiratory illnesses if uncontrolled

Question 29

Sinkholes.

Answer 29

mines have been known to collapse, causing sinkholes in the land above

Question 30

When washing coal what is removed?

Answer 30

Sulfur, rock, ash, and other substances.

Question 31

Where did wastewater come from?

Processing coal

Answer 31

Cleaning coal and breaking coal into smaller, usable pieces

Question 32

Where is wastewater stored? Why is this environmentally dangerous?
(Processing coal)

Answer 32

Wastewater from this process is stored in large wastewater reservoirs or ponds, which are usually offsite, away from the processing plant. Contaminants from these ponds can leak into groundwater, putting wildlife and communities at risk.

Question 33

How can coal contaminate the soil?

Answer 33

Although regulations after 1977 barred the practice of abandoning coal on open land, there are still mountains of unusable coal and by-products left on former coal-mined lands, contaminating the soil.

Question 34

Why is natural gas cleaner-burning gas than coal or oil?

Answer 34

Natural gas produces much less carbon dioxide than processing oil. Unlike oil, it produces only small amount of sulfur and other gases. This makes natural gas a cleaner-burning fossil fuel than coal or oil.

Question 35

Natural gas also produces wastewater. What would happen if not properly disposed of?

Answer 35

This wastewater contains contaminants that, if not properly disposed of, can leak into groundwater and waterways, impacting the water supply.

Question 36

When oil is processed what it released into the air?

Processing oil

Answer 36

Carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide are just some of the pollutants that are released during the processing of oil.

Question 37

How can processing oil, affect human health?

Processing oil

Answer 37

It can cause respiratory diseases like asthma

Question 38

How can processing oil pose a hazard to the water supply?

Processing oil

Answer 38

Refineries dispose of wastewater generated inside the plant. This wastewater is treated to strip it of chemicals before it is released. Although today this process is heavily regulated by the government, past disposal of contaminated wastewater may still remain in bodies of water.