Chapter 5 follows
- 1. Chapter 5 Section I
- 2. Nonrenewable energy resources Most energy sources are nonrenewable, which means they are used up faster than natural processes can replace them.
- 3. Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal formed from the remains of swamp plants and other organisms that were buried and altered over millions of years.
- 4. Coal Coal-most abundant fossil fuel, a rock that contains at least 50 percent plant remains
- 5. Hydrocarbons can be extracted from coal to form liquid and gaseous synthetic fuels As decaying plant material loses gas and moisture, carbon concentration increases. Stages of coal formation –peat, lignite coal, bituminous coal, and anthracite coal, the cleanest-burning type of coal
- 6. Oil & Natural Gas Over millions of years the buried remains of microscopic marine organisms form oil and natural gas.
- 7. Oil is a thick black liquid hydrocarbon Natural gas is a gaseous hydrocarbon that often forms wit oil, but above it, since natural gas is a lighter molecule.
- 8. Americans obtain most of their energy from oil and natural gas. Natural gas is used mostly for heating and cooking. Oil is used in many ways including as heating oil, or gasoline, and in manufacturing.
- 9. Fossil fuels are removed from the ground through mining or pumping.
- 10. Strip mining or open-pit mining, in which upper layers of rock and soil are removed to expose coal, is used when coal deposits are near the surface.
- 11. Underground coal mining methods –tunneling, drift mines, and slope mines. Since oil and natural gas are under pressure, they can be pumped up a narrow pipe to the surface.
- 12. Reserve –amount of a fossil fuel that can be extracted at a profit using current technology Current reserves of coal will last about 250 years United States reserves of natural gas will last about 60 years. Methane hydrates, located in ocean floor sediments, are believed to contain high amounts of carbon and might someday be a useable source for clean-burning methane. Conserving fossil fuels will help slow down the current consumption rate.
- 13. Nuclear Energy Alternate energy source produced from the fission, or splitting of uranium atoms.
- 14. Nuclear energy is considered a nonrenewable resource. One problem with nuclear energy is that nuclear power plants produce highly radioactive nuclear waste; EPA has determined that nuclear waste must be stored and contained for at least 10,000 years.
- 15. Skip #3
- 16. Section II Inexhaustible energy resources include the SUN, wind, water, and geothermal energy.
- 17. Solar energy-energy from the Sun South-facing windows act as passive solar collectors, warming exposed rooms. Solar cells actively collect Sun energy and convert it to electricity. Solar energy is not readily useable on cloudy days or at night.
- 18. Wind Farms – uses a large number of windmills to generate electricity Few regions of the world have strong enough wind to generate electricity. Wind does not always flow steadily, so it is an unreliable resource.
- 20. Hydroelectric energy –electricity generated from running water flowing over dams; dams can create environmental problems.
- 21. Geothermal energy – energy obtained from hot magma or dry, hot rocks inside Earth. heating accessible only in a dew areas - Iceland
- 22. Renewable energy resources, such as biomass energy, energy from burning organic material, can be replaced in a relatively short time such as during a human life span.
- 23. Burning wood, the most commonly used biomass fuel, can cause pollution and disrupt natural habitats when trees are cut down.
- 24. Biomass fuel, such as corn, can be distilled into an alcohol, such as ethanol, and mixed with another fuel. Currently, the production processes for biomass fuels, such as ethanol, use more energy than the ethanol produces.
- 25. Garbage – trash burning power plants burn garbage to generate electricity, but the resulting air pollution and toxic ash residue can present problems.
- 26. Section III
- 27. Mineral resources Deposits of useful minerals; metals are from ore, deposits in which minerals exist in quantities large enough to be mined at a profit.
- 28. Economic factors such as supply and demand determine whether a mineral deposit is an ore. To extract a useful substance from an ore, it must be concentrated and refined, which uses energy; smelting is one method of refining some ores.
- 29. Nonmetallic Mineral Resources any mineral resources not used as fuels or as sources of metals
- 30. Industrial minerals Include sandstone for glass making, halite for table and road salt, garnet for abrasive sandpaper
- 31. Nonmetal Mineral Resources used for building materials including aggregate (for concrete), gypsum (for plaster and wallboards), and building stone (granite, limestone, and sandstone)
- 32. Recycling uses old materials to produce new ones and helps reduce demand for mineral resources, which are nonrenewable.
- 33. Virginia Mineral Resources coal – for fuel
- 34. Limestone – building stone
- 35. gravel – construction (concrete and road beds)
- 36. Crushed rock construction (concrete and road beds)
- 37. Titanium lightweight, durable (wheelchairs, auto and airplane parts, non-toxic (repair broken bones found in coastal plains – black sand