17 TH MILLER/SPOOLMAN LIVING IN THE ENVIRONMENT Chapter 15 Nonrenewable Energy

Case Study: A Brief History of Human Energy Use Everything runs on energy Industrial revolution began 275 years ago, relied on wood, which led to deforestation Coal Petroleum products Natural gas All of these are nonrenewable energy resources

Energy Use: World and United States Fig. 15-1, p. 370

15-1 What is Net Energy and Why Is It Important? Concept 15-1 Net energy is the amount of high- quality energy available from an energy resource minus the amount of energy needed to make it available.

Basic Science: Net Energy Is the Only Energy That Really Counts (1) First law of thermodynamics: It takes high-quality energy to get high-quality energy Pumping oil from ground, refining it, transporting it Second law of thermodynamics Some high-quality energy is wasted at every step

Basic Science: Net Energy Is the Only Energy That Really Counts (2) Net energy Total amount of useful energy available from a resource minus the energy needed to make the energy available to consumers Business net profit: total money taken in minus all expenses Net energy ratio: ratio of energy produced to energy used to produce it Conventional oil: high net energy ratio

It Takes Energy to Pump Petroleum Fig. 15-2, p. 372

Net Energy Ratios Fig. 15-3, p. 373

Energy Resources With Low/Negative Net Energy Yields Need Marketplace Help Cannot compete in open markets with alternatives that have higher net energy yields Need subsidies from taxpayers Nuclear power as an example

Reducing Energy Waste Improves Net Energy Yields and Can Save Money 84% of all commercial energy used in the U.S. is wasted 43% after accounting for second law of thermodynamics Drive efficient cars, not gas guzzlers Make buildings energy efficient

15-2 What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Oil? Concept 15-2A Conventional oil is currently abundant, has a high net energy yield, and is relatively inexpensive, but using it causes air and water pollution and releases greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Concept 15-2B Heavy oils from tar sand and oil shale exist in potentially large supplies but have low net energy yields and higher environmental impacts than conventional oil has.

We Depend Heavily on Oil (1) Petroleum, or crude oil: conventional, or light oil Fossil fuels: crude oil and natural gas Peak production: time after which production from a well declines Global peak production for all world oil

We Depend Heavily on Oil (2) Oil extraction and refining By boiling point temperature Petrochemicals: Products of oil distillation Raw materials for industrial organic chemicals Pesticides Paints Plastics

Science: Refining Crude Oil Fig. 15-4, p. 375

How Long Might Supplies of Conventional Crude Oil Last? (1) Rapid increase since 1950 Largest consumers in 2009 United States, 23% China, 8% Japan, 6%

How Long Might Supplies of Conventional Crude Oil Last? (2) Proven oil reserves Identified deposits that can be extracted profitably with current technology Unproven reserves Probable reserves: 50% chance of recovery Possible reserves: 10-40% chance of recovery Proven and unproven reserves will be 80% depleted sometime between 2050 and 2100

World Oil Consumption, Figure 1, Supplement 2

History of the Age of Conventional Oil Figure 9, Supplement 9

OPEC Controls Most of the World’s Oil Supplies (1) 13 countries have at least 60% of the world’s crude oil reserves Saudi Arabia: 20% United States: 1.5% Global oil production leveled off in 2005 Oil production peaks and flow rates to consumers

OPEC Controls Most of the World’s Oil Supplies (2) Three caveats when evaluating future oil supplies 1.Potential reserves are not proven reserves 2.Must use net energy yield to evaluate potential of any oil deposit 3.Must take into account high global use of oil

Crude Oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Fig. 15-5, p. 376

The United States Uses Much More Oil Than It Produces Produces 9% of the world’s oil and uses 23% of world’s oil 1.5% of world’s proven oil reserves Imports 52% of its oil Should we look for more oil reserves? Extremely difficult Expensive and financially risky

U.S. Energy Consumption by Fuel Figure 6, Supplement 9

Proven and Unproven Reserves of Fossil Fuels in North America Figure 18, Supplement 8

Conventional Oil Has Advantages and Disadvantages Extraction, processing, and burning of nonrenewable oil and other fossil fuels Advantages Disadvantages

Trade-Offs: Conventional Oil Fig. 15-6, p. 377

Trade-Offs Conventional Oil AdvantagesDisadvantages Ample supply for several decades Water pollution from oil spills and leaks High net energy yield but decreasing Environmental costs not included in market price Low land disruption Releases CO 2 and other air pollutants when burned Efficient distribution system Vulnerable to international supply interruptions

Bird Covered with Oil from an Oil Spill in Brazilian Waters Fig. 15-7, p. 377

Case Study: Heavy Oil from Tar Sand Oil sand, tar sand contains bitumen Canada and Venezuela: oil sands have more oil than in Saudi Arabia Extraction Serious environmental impact before strip-mining Low net energy yield: Is it cost effective?

Strip Mining for Tar Sands in Alberta Fig. 15-8, p. 378

Will Heavy Oil from Oil Shales Be a Useful Resource? Oil shales contain kerogen After distillation: shale oil 72% of the world’s reserve is in arid areas of western United States Locked up in rock Lack of water needed for extraction and processing Low net energy yield

Oil Shale Rock and the Shale Oil Extracted from It Fig. 15-9, p. 379

Trade-Offs: Heavy Oils from Oil Shale and Oil Sand Fig , p. 379

Trade-Offs Heavy Oils from Oil Shale and Tar Sand Advantages Disadvantages Large potential supplies Low net energy yield Easily transported within and between countries Releases CO 2 and other air pollutants when produced and burned Efficient distribution system in place Severe land disruption and high water use

15-3 What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Natural Gas? Concept 15-3 Conventional natural gas is more plentiful than oil, has a high net energy yield and a fairly low cost, and has the lowest environmental impact of all fossil fuels.

Natural Gas Is a Useful and Clean-Burning Fossil Fuel Natural gas: mixture of gases 50-90% is methane -- CH 4 Conventional natural gas Pipelines Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) Liquefied natural gas (LNG) Low net energy yield Makes U.S. dependent upon unstable countries like Russia and Iran

Natural Gas Burned Off at Deep Sea Oil Well Fig , p. 380

Is Unconventional Natural Gas the Answer? Coal bed methane gas In coal beds near the earth’s surface In shale beds High environmental impacts or extraction Methane hydrate Trapped in icy water In permafrost environments On ocean floor Costs of extraction currently too high

Trade-Offs: Conventional Natural Gas Fig , p. 381

Conventional Natural Gas AdvantagesDisadvantages Ample supplies Low net energy yield for LNG High net energy yield Releases CO 2 and other air pollutants when burned Emits less CO 2 and other pollutants than other fossil fuels Difficult and costly to transport from one country to another Trade-Offs

Methane Hydrate Fig , p. 381

15-4 What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Coal? Concept 15-4A Conventional coal is plentiful and has a high net energy yield and low cost, but it has a very high environmental impact. Concept 15-4B Gaseous and liquid fuels produced from coal could be plentiful, but they have lower net energy yields and higher environmental impacts than conventional coal has.

Coal Is a Plentiful but Dirty Fuel (1) Coal: solid fossil fuel Burned in power plants; generates 42% of the world’s electricity Inefficient Three largest coal-burning countries China United States Canada

Coal Is a Plentiful but Dirty Fuel (2) World’s most abundant fossil fuel U.S. has 28% of proven reserves Environmental costs of burning coal Severe air pollution Sulfur released as SO 2 Large amount of soot CO 2 Trace amounts of Hg and radioactive materials

Stages in Coal Formation over Millions of Years Fig , p. 382

Increasing moisture content Increasing heat and carbon content Peat (not a coal) Lignite (brown coal) Bituminous (soft coal) Anthracite (hard coal) Heat Pressure Partially decayed plant matter in swamps and bogs; low heat content Low heat content; low sulfur content; limited supplies in most areas Extensively used as a fuel because of its high heat content and large supplies; normally has a high sulfur content Highly desirable fuel because of its high heat content and low sulfur content; supplies are limited in most areas

Increasing moisture content Increasing heat and carbon content Peat (not a coal) Lignite (brown coal) Bituminous (soft coal) Anthracite (hard coal) Heat Pressure Partially decayed plant matter in swamps and bogs; low heat content Low heat content; low sulfur content; limited supplies in most areas Extensively used as a fuel because of its high heat content and large supplies; normally has a high sulfur content Highly desirable fuel because of its high heat content and low sulfur content; supplies are limited in most areas Stepped Art Fig , p. 382

Science: Coal-Burning Power Plant Fig , p. 382

Fig b, p. 382 Waste heat Coal bunker Turbine Cooling tower transfers waste heat to atmosphere Generator Cooling loop Stack Pulverizing millCondenserFilter Boiler Toxic ash disposal

Air Pollution from a Coal-Burning Industrial Plant in India Fig , p. 383

CO 2 Emissions Per Unit of Electrical Energy Produced for Energy Sources Fig , p. 383

World Coal and Natural Gas Consumption, Figure 7, Supplement 9

Coal Consumption in China and the United States, Figure 8, Supplement 9

Coal Deposits in the United States Figure 19, Supplement 8

Trade-Offs: Coal Fig , p. 384

Coal AdvantagesDisadvantages Ample supplies in many countries Severe land disturbance and water pollution Fine particle and toxic mercury emissions threaten human health High net energy yield Emits large amounts of CO 2 and other air pollutants when produced and burned Low cost when environmental costs are not included Trade-Offs

Case Study: The Problem of Coal Ash Highly toxic Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury Ash left from burning and from emissions Some used as fertilizer by farmers Most is buried or put in ponds Contaminates groundwater Should be classified as hazardous waste

The Clean Coal and Anti-Coal Campaigns Coal companies and energy companies fought Classifying carbon dioxide as a pollutant Classifying coal ash as hazardous waste Air pollution standards for emissions 2008 clean coal campaign But no such thing as clean coal “Coal is the single greatest threat to civilization and all life on the planet.” – James Hansen

We Can Convert Coal into Gaseous and Liquid Fuels Conversion of solid coal to Synthetic natural gas (SNG) by coal gasification Methanol or synthetic gasoline by coal liquefaction Synfuels Are there benefits to using these synthetic fuels?

Trade-Offs: Synthetic Fuels Fig , p. 385

Synthetic Fuels AdvantagesDisadvantages Large potential supply in many countries Low to moderate net energy yield Vehicle fuel Requires mining 50% more coal with increased land disturbance, water pollution and water use Lower air pollution than coal Higher CO 2 emissions than coal Trade-Offs

15-5 What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy? Concept 15-5 Nuclear power has a low environmental impact and a very low accident risk, but its use has been limited by a low net energy yield, high costs, fear of accidents, long-lived radioactive wastes, and the potential for spreading nuclear weapons technology.

How Does a Nuclear Fission Reactor Work? (1) Controlled nuclear fission reaction in a reactor Light-water reactors Very inefficient Fueled by uranium ore and packed as pellets in fuel rods and fuel assemblies Control rods absorb neutrons

How Does a Nuclear Fission Reactor Work? (2) Water is the usual coolant Containment shell around the core for protection Water-filled pools or dry casks for storage of radioactive spent fuel rod assemblies

Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Plant Fig , p. 387

Fission of Uranium-235 Fig. 2-9b, p. 43

What Is the Nuclear Fuel Cycle? 1.Mine the uranium 2.Process the uranium to make the fuel 3.Use it in the reactor 4.Safely store the radioactive waste 5.Decommission the reactor

Science: The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Fig , p. 388

What Happened to Nuclear Power? Slowest-growing energy source and expected to decline more Why? Economics Poor management Low net yield of energy of the nuclear fuel cycle Safety concerns Need for greater government subsidies Concerns of transporting uranium

Global Energy Capacity of Nuclear Power Plants Figure 10, Supplement 9

Nuclear Power Plants in the United States Figure 21, Supplement 8

Case Study: Chernobyl: The World’s Worst Nuclear Power Plant Accident Chernobyl April 26, 1986 In Chernobyl, Ukraine Series of explosions caused the roof of a reactor building to blow off Partial meltdown and fire for 10 days Huge radioactive cloud spread over many countries and eventually the world 350,000 people left their homes Effects on human health, water supply, and agriculture

Nuclear Power Has Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages

Trade-Offs: Conventional Nuclear Fuel Cycle Fig , p. 389

Conventional Nuclear Fuel Cycle Low environmental impact (without accidents) Very low net energy yield and high overall cost AdvantagesDisadvantages Emits 1/6 as much CO 2 as coal Produces long-lived, harmful radioactive wastes Low risk of accidents in modern plants Promotes spread of nuclear weapons Trade-Offs

Trade-Offs: Coal versus Nuclear to Produce Electricity Fig , p. 389

Storing Spent Radioactive Fuel Rods Presents Risks Rods must be replaced every 3-4 years Cooled in water-filled pools Placed in dry casks Must be stored for thousands of years Vulnerable to terrorist attack

Dealing with Spent Fuel Rods Fig , p. 390

Dealing with Radioactive Wastes Produced by Nuclear Power Is a Difficult Problem High-level radioactive wastes Must be stored safely for 10,000–240,000 years Where to store it Deep burial: safest and cheapest option Would any method of burial last long enough? There is still no facility Shooting it into space is too dangerous

Case Study: High-Level Radioactive Wastes in the United States 1985: plans in the U.S. to build a repository for high- level radioactive wastes in the Yucca Mountain desert region (Nevada) Problems Cost: $96 billion Large number of shipments to the site: protection from attack? Rock fractures Earthquake zone Decrease national security

What Do We Do with Worn-Out Nuclear Power Plants? Decommission or retire the power plant Some options 1.Dismantle the plant and safely store the radioactive materials 2.Enclose the plant behind a physical barrier with full-time security until a storage facility has been built 3.Enclose the plant in a tomb Monitor this for thousands of years

Can Nuclear Power Lessen Dependence on Imported Oil & Reduce Global Warming? Nuclear power plants: no CO 2 emission Nuclear fuel cycle: emits CO 2 Opposing views on nuclear power Nuclear power advocates 2007: Oxford Research Group Need high rate of building new plants, plus a storage facility for radioactive wastes

Are New Generation Nuclear Reactors the Answer? Advanced light-water reactors (ALWR) Built-in passive safety features Thorium-based reactors Cheaper and safer But much research and development needed

Solutions: New Generation Nuclear Reactors Fig , p. 393

Will Nuclear Fusion Save Us? “Nuclear fusion Fuse lighter elements into heavier elements No risk of meltdown or large radioactivity release Still in the laboratory phase after 50 years of research and $34 billion dollars 2006: U.S., China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and European Union Will build a large-scale experimental nuclear fusion reactor by 2018

Nuclear Fusion Fig. 2-9c, p. 43

Experts Disagree about the Future of Nuclear Power Proponents of nuclear power Fund more research and development Pilot-plant testing of potentially cheaper and safer reactors Test breeder fission and nuclear fusion Opponents of nuclear power Fund rapid development of energy efficient and renewable energy resources

Three Big Ideas 1.A key factor to consider in evaluating the usefulness of any energy resource is its net energy yield. 2.Conventional oil, natural gas, and coal are plentiful and have moderate to high net energy yields, but using any fossil fuel, especially coal, has a high environmental impact.

Three Big Ideas 3.Nuclear power has a low environmental impact and a very low accident risk, but high costs, a low net energy yield, long-lived radioactive wastes, and the potential for spreading nuclear weapons technology have limited its use.