Nonrenewable Resources Textbook Reference Chapter 15

North American Energy Resources Coal Gas Oil High potential areas MEXICO UNITED STATES CANADA Pacific Ocean Atlantic Grand Banks Gulf of Alaska Valdez ALASKA Beaufort Sea Prudhoe Bay Arctic Prince William Sound Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Trans Alaska oil pipeline

Source: formed from decomposition of organic matter; located deep in crust-under lakes & oceans Primary Recovery-drilling/pumping Secondary Recovery-water Tertiary Recovery-steam/carbon dioxide Use: produces petrochemicals Organic chemicals Pesticides Plastics Synthetic fibers Paint Gasoline Oil/Petroleum

Oil/Petroleum Production: crude oil is refined for use Products differentiated by boiling points— removed in distillation column Oil/Petroleum

Heavy Oils Oil Shale: found in sedimentary rock reserves Holds kerogen that is heated and distilled to form shale oil 240X more shale oil than conventional oil Sources are low grade so currently not worth the investment Tar Sand: clay, sand, water and bitumen Very deep underground and difficult to mine Can be refined into a crude oil Low energy yield and high cost Heavy Oils

Oil/Petroleum Benefits Drawbacks Easy to transport Good for transportation services High energy yield Efficiency: ~30% Nonrenewable Moderate damage to land during extraction Oil spills Political Issues OPEC Oil Embargo 1973 Emissions C + O2 = C02 Nitrous Oxide Oil/Petroleum

Natural Gas Source: decomposed organic matter Use: heating, cooking Conventional: lies above crude oil reservoirs, or from landfills Unconventional: coal beds/dissolved in hot water Use: heating, cooking LPG: propane + butane—used in rural areas; stored in tanks, not piped Methane: pumped into pipelines and distributed LNG: highly flammable; stored at -300°F--- transported internationally Natural Gas

Natural Gas Benefits Drawbacks Ample supplies High energy yield Less air pollution than oil Efficiency: ~ 30% Domestically abundant Nonrenewable GHG emissions-- C02, methane, CO, nitrogen and sulfur Highly explosive Natural Gas

Source: ore in the Earth’s crust-mostly carbon with trace sulfur and radioactive materials Use: electricity and heat Coal is burned to heat water-steam turns turbines which generate electricity Or the heat is used directly Coal

Types of Coal

Coal Benefits Drawbacks Abundant Cheap Some types more efficient than others Efficiency: ~30% Dirty to burn Sulfur dioxide, mercury, carbon dioxide, radioactive isotopes Mining has negative effects Coal

Clean Coal Technology Flue gas: CO2, NOx, SO2, particulates Options: New technologies reduce these emissions Options: Coal Washing: settle impurities before burning by rinsing with water Wet Scrubbers: spray flue gas with limestone solution—forms gypsum (drywall) Low Nox Burners: restricts oxygen so it can’t react with nitrogen Electrostatic Precipitators: charge particulate matter with electric field and collect Clean Coal Technology

Source: uranium 237 or 235 or plutonium—mined as ore in Earth’s crust Use: electricity and heating Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Energy How: controlled fission reactions Uranium rods can be covered or uncovered by control rods When control rods are covering uranium, neutrons created during fission reactions are captured to prevent continued fission reactions This controls the rate of nuclear reactions— prevent overheating of the reactor Nuclear Energy

Control rods preventing reaction Control rods removed Reaction going Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Energy Benefits Drawbacks Relatively safe Energy input is low No GHG emissions except water vapor* Nonrenewable Difficult to store spent uranium Between 100-500 years Weapons development Expensive start-up Meltdown potential Thermal pollution ~8% efficient for space heating Nuclear Energy

Renewable Research Solar Hydropower Wind Biomass Hydrogen Gas Geothermal Energy For each of the renewable options listed---do some research You’ll need to know: Materials/technologies involved Source of materials Environmental impacts Emissions; problems building or using devices How it works Efficiency Benefits of use Drawbacks of use Renewable Research