What does it mean to you…

Non-Renewable Resources  A natural resource that cannot be produced, re-grown, or regenerated on a large enough level to sustain its consumption rate on a human time scale.  Mineral or Metal Ores  Fossil fuels are the dominate energy resource. Petroleum Oil, Natural Gas & Coal

Quick Check #1 1. What is meant by “natural” when describing a resource? 2. List three metal ores.

How did Fossil Fuels form?  Fossil Fuels started out as organic material… for oil & gas – primarily single cell, microscopic zooplankton and algae. for coal - primarily the cell walls, chlorophyll, and leaf wax of swamps plants.  The organisms died 100 – 500 million years ago and decayed in an area without O 2.  During the slow decomposition, the solid “sludge” that accumulated at the bottom of the pile became crude oil. Gases that evolved and were trapped became the natural gasses.  For coal, the organic material was converted by internal heat and pressure, and metamorphosed into coal.

What are these Fossil Fuels used for?  ENERGY! ENERGY! ENERGY! And to make plastic, rubber, synthetic fabric, etc.  To make your cars, trains & planes go…  To make your factories run…  To keep your homes, schools, churches, & stores lit and warm / cool.  To keep you fed, clean & entertained.

Quick Check #2 3. What does “organic” mean when talking about fossil fuel material? 4. List the three fossil fuels.

What’s the problem with Fossil Fuels?  Fossil fuels have to be extracted from the Earth or the Ocean  Fossil fuels are pollutants, especially crude oil.  Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases (CO 2, H 2 O, etc.), which have been associated with global climate change.  CH 4 + O 2  CO 2 + H 2 O Coal burning releases sulfates in the air that produce acid rain Burning of gasoline releases CO 2,volatile organic compounds, nitric oxides, and ozone

How is Electricity created from Fossil Fuels?  33% of all fossil fuels (primarily coal) in the US are used to generate electricity  The coal is burned to run a generator. A generator is coiled wire that rotates in a magnetic field or that remains stationary while a magnetic field is rotated around it. The process converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. The mechanical energy is provided by the burning of fossil fuels. Some energy is “lost” in transmitting the electricity over wires from the generating plants to the end users. In the end it takes three units of primary energy to create one unit of electrical power (secondary energy) that actually is put to use.

What happens when Non-renewable Resources “run out”? Since Fossil Fuels can’t last forever (at our current rate of consumption) AND Fossil Fuels take millions of years to be replenished…

Quick Check #3 5. List three problems with using Non-renewable resources. 6. List three uses for fossil fuels.