1. Earth and Space Science Ms. Pollock 2010 - 2011
Nonrenewable Energy

2. Nonrenewable Energy
Many of Earth’s resources used to generate electricity
Energy used for transportation, manufacturing, and other necessities of life
Nonrenewable resources – energy resources that exist in limited amounts and that cannot be replaced quickly once they are used

3. Nonrenewable energy

4. Fossil fuels
Some of most important nonrenewable resources buried within Earth’s crust
Coal
Petroleum
Natural gas
Formed from remains of living things
Fossil fuels – compounds of hydrogen and carbon (hydrocarbons) formed from the remains of plants and animals

5. Fossil fuels Contain stored energy originally obtained from sun
Require millions of years to develop
Chemical bonds broken to release energy

6. Formation of coal Most commonly burned fossil fuel
Formed from plants that have undergone carbonization
Partially decomposed plant matter buried in swamp mud becomes peat.
Peat is consumed by bacteria, and methane is released, along with carbon dioxide.
Happens only if oxygen absent

7. Formation of coal
Peat
Lignite
Bituminous coal
anthracite

8. Types of coal deposits
Peat is covered by layers of sediment and water and gases squeezed out.
Increased temperature and pressure from additional sediments further compresses lignite.
Folding of Earth’s crust produces higher temperatures and pressures to change bituminous coal to anthracite.

9. Formation of coal

10. Formation of petroleum and natural gas
Microorganisms and plants died in shallow prehistoric oceans and lakes.
Remains fell to the bottom of the bodies of water and were covered with sediment.
Heat and pressure from the layers of sediment over millions of years produce petroleum and natural gas.
Mixtures of hydrocarbons
Petroleum liquid
Natural gas

11. Petroleum and natural gas

12. Petroleum and natural gas deposits
Important energy sources for transportation, farming, industry
Most often mined from permeable sedimentary rocks covered with cap rocks
Natural gas usually on top because of low density

13. Oil traps
Geologists searching for rock structures that may trap oil or gas
Petroleum and natural gas flow to the surface when a well is drilled

14. Fossil-fuel supplies Crude oil – unrefined petroleum
Main source of energy
Used in production of industrial products
Plastics
Synthetic fabrics
Medicines
Waxes
Synthetic rubber
Insecticides
Chemical fertilizers
Detergents
shampoos

15. Fossil-fuel supplies – crude oil

16. Fossil-fuel supplies Coal most abundant in world
Found on every continent, but most found in US, Russia, and China
Most coal deposits believed to have been discovered

17. Fossil-fuel supplies - coal

18. Fossil-fuel supplies
Scientists believe there are undiscovered natural gas reserves.
There is also an abundant material called oil shale, which contains petroleum.
Cost of mining oil shale much greater than that of mining oil from sedimentary rocks

19. Fossil-fuel supplies – Gas and shale

20. Nuclear energy
Discovery of smaller parts within atom led to discovery of nuclear fission
Ernest Rutherford first studied and explained the result of bombarding nuclei with high-energy particles.
Within 30 years, nuclear weapons and energy were developed.

21. Nuclear energy

22. Nuclear fission
Splitting nuclei of heavy atoms into two or more smaller nuclei
Nuclear forces 1,000,000 tunes stronger than chemical bonds, but can be split with free neutrons
Chain reaction begun when a neutron hits and atom and begins an on-going reaction

23. Nuclear fission

24. How fission generates electricity
Chain reactions controlled in correctly functioning nuclear power plants
Reaction carried out in nuclear reactor
Huge energy released from small atoms
Pellets of enriched uranium used to create uranium rods
Rods pelted with neutrons and become hot
Water pumped over rods to cool, and steam created to run turbines

25. How fission generates electricity

26. Advantages and disadvantages of nuclear fission
No air pollution
Waste carried away for storage in one of three US facilities
Inexpensive electricity production, after construction costs
Disadvantages
Produces radioactive materials with long half-lives
Necessary to store waste
High doses of radiation give off that destroy plant and animal tissue

27. Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion – nuclei of hydrogen atoms combine to form larger nuclei of helium
System that fuels sun to 15,000,000C
Over 40 years of attempts to harness nuclear fusion
Hope to use hydrogen atoms from ocean water for almost limitless energy
By-products helium nuclei, which are harmless

28. Nuclear fusion