ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES.ppt
- 2. Renewable Vs. Non-Renewable Resources Renewable resources can be replenished over a fairly short period of time (months- decades) – Examples: Animals, Plants, Trees, Solar energy, etc. Non-Renewable Resources require millions of years to form and accumulate – Examples: Coal, Oil, Metals
- 3. Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons that can be used as a source of energy Coal is formed by heat and pressure acting on plant remains – Stages of formation: Peat, Lignite, bituminous, anthracite – Anthracite releases the most energy and Peat provides the least – Used by power plants to produce electricity – Coal releases sulfur compounds (acid rain), mercury, carbon dioxide and other harmful chemicals
- 4. COAL TYPES
- 5. Petroleum and Natural Gas is formed by the accumulation of plant and animal remains in the ocean – Pumped out of “oil traps” – Used to make gasoline, fuel oil, plastic, etc.
- 6. Tar sands are deposits of sand and clay that contain thick tar like hydrocarbons called “bitumen” – Must be “steamed off sands” – Requires a lot of energy to retrieve bitumen and process it (half as much energy to mine as it supplies)
- 8. Oil Shale is shale that contains hydrocarbons called kerogen – Shale is heated to release Kerogen – Very expensive to process (not economical to mine)
- 9. Formation of Minerals Deposits Definitions – Mineral resources: Deposits of extractable minerals – Mineral reserve: Profitable mineral deposit – Ore: Metallic minerals that are profitable to mine Igneous Processes – Heavy minerals crystallize and accumulate in magma chambers – Yields: Gold, Silver, Copper, Mercury, Lead, Platinum, Nickel, etc.
- 10. Hydrothermal Solutions – Hot metal rich fluids are injected into rock by magma intrusions – As fluid cools metallic ions crystallize in veins – Yields Gold, Silver, Mercury, etc. Placer Deposits – Heavy minerals are deposited in streambeds as weathering of country rock occurs – Yields: Gold, Silver, Platinum
- 11. Quartz Vein Panning for Placer Gold
- 12. Non-metallic Resources These resources are divided into two groups – Building materials Gravel, Sand, Limestone (cement), Rock Salt – Industrial minerals Abrasives (corundum), Limestone (steel)
- 13. Tilcon, New York Industrial Minerals
- 14. Alternate Energy Sources New energy sources MUST be developed to replace fossil fuels! Solar Energy – Harnesses the suns energy – Solar energy is “free” energy – Passive Solar energy Requires no special equipment (ex. Windows) – Active solar energy Utilizes special equipment (ex. Photovoltaic cells, water heaters) – Cons: High start up cost, not continuous
- 15. Solar Energy
- 16. Nuclear Energy – Relies on nuclear fission of heavy elements to heat water – Cons: Dangerous, Produces hazardous waste
- 17. Wind Energy – Uses wind turbines to generate electricity – Can be used on a large or small scale – Cons: unsightly, expensive start up, only good in certain areas
- 18. Hydroelectric power – Uses flowing water to turn turbines and generate electricity – Cons: Sediment behind dams builds up, Wildlife disruption, Need suitable spot
- 19. Geothermal energy – Uses hot water and steam from earth to turn turbines and generate electricity – Can be utilized by home owners – Cons: Exhaustible, rare to find suitable spot
- 20. Tidal Power – Traps incoming tidal waters and releases the water during low tide to generate electricity – Cons: Requires 8 meter tidal range (rare), Requires suitable coastline
- 21. Pollution Point source pollution – Point source pollution comes from a known spot – Examples: Factories, Sewage discharge Non-Point source pollution – Non point source pollution has no specific point of origin – Examples: Oil on roadways, fertilizer/pesticide runoff
- 22. Freshwater pollution – We rely on freshwater for drinking water, farming, tourism/sporting etc. – Groundwater, once contaminated is difficult/impossible to remediate Land Pollution – Farming depletes and poisons soil – Mining destroys land surfaces – Landfills leak dangerous chemicals
- 24. Land Pollution
- 25. Air pollution – Fossil fuel combustion is the major source of air pollution – Fossil fuels cause/add: Soot Carbon dioxide (global warming, acidification) Smog Acid Rain Mercury contamination And much much more! – Ozone layer is destroyed by CFC’s causing skin cancer increases – The world health organization attributes 3 million deaths per year to air pollution
- 26. Air Pollution
- 27. What Can We Do? Every year in the US we throw out 30 million cell phones 18 million computers 8 million TV’s Enough tires to encircle earth 3 times! We are only 6% of earth’s population Recycling – Used items are turned into new product Re-using – Materials get used for another purpose or by other people
- 28. Conservation – Natural resources are used sparingly Proper Disposal – Dispose of waste in a responsible manner
- 29. Laws 1972-Clean Water Act 1974-Safe Drinking Water Act 1970-Clean Air Act 1976-Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 1980-Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (superfund)