Nonrenewable Energy Resources Energy is the ability to do work Energy use has increased dramatically in the last century Only ~7% of the energy comes from renewable sources like water power and wind http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/World_energy_usage_width_chart.svg The remaining 93% comes from nonrenewable sources such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas Fossil fuels formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived long ago, and are burned at rates millions of times faster than they are forming today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_resources_and_consumption

Coal Coal is an organic sedimentary rock Formed from plant materials All organic materials contain C, H, and O As the plant matter decays, mostly C remains Peat is a compressed mass of plant in which mosses, leaves, and twigs can still be seen Lignite forms when peat is compressed and aged, is about 40% C After millions of years of compression, bituminous (soft coal) coal may form (~85% C) It is the most abundant and widely used Soft coal burns readily, but with a lot of smoke Regional metamorphism turns bituminous coal to anthracite, or hard coal (90-95% C)‏

Coal Deep coal deposits are worked in underground mines. Shallow deposits are worked in open-pit mines The main use of coal is to run power plants that generate electricity Coal is used in making steel and chemicals

Petroleum and Natural Gas Petroleum means “rock oil” Sedimentary material of organic origin Liquid hydrocarbons (H,C,O)‏ Formed by slow chemical changes in plant and animal materials buried under sand and clay in shallow ocean waters Hydrocarbons were liquids and gases Sediments were compacted and the hydrocarbons were squeezed into pores and cracks in sandstones or limestones Lighter hydrocarbon liquids (petroleum) rose above the seawater in the rocks, and natural gas collected above the petroleum Petroleum is sealed by an impermeable rock layer (such as shale) called an oil trap

Other Fossil Fuels and Gasohol Oil shale contains a high % of C compounds Oil vapour can be recovered as liquid oil Tar sand is sand that has pore spaces that are filled with tar Oil is removed from the tar sands (Alberta has huge reserves) Gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and alcohol

Uranium: Nuclear Power Uranium metal is used in nuclear reactors to generate electricity Atomic fission of the uranium-235 nucleus releases energy The fission of 1 gram of uranium releases as much energy as the burning of nearly 3 tons of coal or 14 barrels of oil A nuclear power plant uses the energy produced by nuclear fission in a nuclear reactor to heat water, which becomes steam under pressure The steam is pumped into turbines, which generate electricity How Nuclear Power Works

Uranium is the 4th most important source of energy in the world today The main ores of Uranium are the black mineral uraninite, and the yellow mineral carnotite (both oxides) Uranium is the 4th most important source of energy in the world today Fission creates radioactive waste that must be stored away from living things for thousands of years This storage facility near the site of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant currently houses nuclear waste. Three Mile Island Meltdown Nuclear Waste Yucca Mtn.

Energy Conservation Currently the world relies on nonrenewable resources for most of its energy The supply of fossil fuels will continue to be used at an increasing rate Three general methods of energy conservation: Reduce energy consumption Use less energy to do the same amount of work Eg. Better insulation, tuned-up cars, compact fluorescent or LED light bulbs Use less energy to do more work: more efficient machines