Final Exam - Intro to Environmental Science

enhanced geothermal systems

(areas that lack heated water or permeable rock) EGS - deep holes are drilled into dry rock and rock is fractured

Photovoltaic

- China leads the world in PV cell production - US ranks 5th

Natural Gas

- Methane - Organic matter is turned into kerogen, the source material for both crude oil and natural gas

benefits of wind power

- cost favorable compared to gas fired power plants - converting and maintaining creates jobs - domestic fuel source that allows energy independence - non greenhouse gas producing - low operating costs

Iceland

- five major geothermal power plants exist - produce 30% of nations electricity - heat and provide hot water to 87% of all buildings

Geothermal

- geothermal power reduces greenhouse gas emissions

Waves and Tides

- many designs exist - offshore facilities and involve floating devices that move up and down in waves - wave energy is greater at deep ocean sites - transmitting electricity to shore is very expensive

Germany Renewable Resources

- more solar power than any other country - Feed in Tariff (p. 577) - 8,079,000 direct and indirect jobs in renewable energy worldwide

Limits for solar

- not all regions are sunny enough to provide enough power - Germany receives little sun and is the world leader in solar power - solar power is an intermittent source - daily and seasonal variation can limit stand alone systems - they need storage (batteries) and back up power - up front costs are high (20 years to break even) - fossil fuels and nuclear energy are favored over solar

Why are we interested in renewable energy sources

- reduction in air pollution - reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that drive GCC - diversification of an economy's energy mix

Geothermal (ground source) heat pumps

- use thermal energy from near-surface sources of earth and water - single network of underground plastic pipes that circulate water - highly energy efficient as heat is merely moved from place to place - heat buildings in winter by transferring heat from ground into buildings and cool them in summer by transferring heat in opposite direction - 600,000 used in U.S. residences

Wind has problems

- we have no control over when wind will occur - wind sources are not always near population centers that need energy - transmission networks need to be expanded to deliver the wind-generated power to distant population centers

Mineral

1. Naturally occurring 2. inorganic 3. crystalline 4. solid 5. limited chemical composition

Oil and Gas Genesis1

1. Plankton die and sink to the floor of a sea or lake (low energy environments) 2. The organic matter (dead plankton) accumulates offshore in fine mud 3. Under anoxic conditions, organic material is preserved. 4. Increasing deposition above the material adds heat and pressure 5. Mud (organic matter and sediment) lithifies (hardens to rock) to form black shale (petroleum source rock) 6. Additional heat and pressure produces oil...less dense so it rises through pores rock (sandstones) and fractures

Sustainability triple pillars

1. environmental protection -Assumes that nature and the environment are not an inexhaustible resource and so, it is necessary to protect and use them rationally.environment. 2. economic well-being -Promotes social development seeking to achieve satisfactory qualities of life, health, and education. 3. social justice - 3.Promotes equal economic growth that generates wealth for allwithout harming the

Waste Management

1.Minimizing the amount of waste we generate 2.Recovering discarded materials and finding ways to recycle them 3.Disposing of waste safely and effectively

renewable resource

A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed

Ores must be processed

After mining the ore, rock is crushed and the metals are isolated by chemical or physical means •Smelting: heating ore beyond its melting point then combining it with other metals or chemicals •Alloy: a metal mixed, melted, or fused with another metal or nonmetal substance •Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon Consequences - Tailings: ore left over after metals have been extracted

Sustainability begins with an audit

An audit involves reviewing an institutions energy use, emissions, waste, food, water use, and transportation systems. •Provides base line in formation •Helps set priorities and goals •Audits should result in specific recommendations or actions

Recycling and waste reduction

Campuses are composting a variety of materials Reuseis more sustainable than recycling

Purchasing Decisions

Campuses can support green initiatives by purchasing: •Recycled paper •Certified sustainable wood •Energy-efficient appliances •Goods with less packaging •Eco-labeled products •Nontoxic cleaning supplies

Cleaner Extraction / Cleaner Burning

Clean Coal: Working on stripping and sequestering CO2. technologically difficult, expensive, and requires large energy inputs Currently, there is "cleaner" coal but no Clean Coal

Mountaintop Removal Mining and Strip Mining

Coal seams are exposed and removed via excavating the overlying material Tops of mountains are blasted off, and excess rock deposited in neighboring valleys Completely rearranges topography and hydrology Permanently alters the environmental system

Water Conservation

Conserving water is a key element of sustainable campuses, especially in arid regions •Stormwater Management •redirect rain water for plants and aquifer recharge rather than runoff •Indoor water conservation •Low-flow toilets, faucets, and shower heads •Fill water bottles with tap water instead of buying bottled water Universities have saved millions of dollars and drastically reduced water use over the last two decades

ecological impacts

Disruption to migratory fish Isolates populations Riparian zones Loss of In stream Habitat (Deposition and Erosion) Water quality

Quality of life

Economists and policy makers talk of economic growth as an ultimate goal The United States, with 5% of the world's population, uses 20% of its energy resources •More income does not translate into being happier •We will not have long-term happiness by endlessly expanding our economy

geothermal

Energy derived from the heat in the interior of the earth

energy efficiency

Energy efficiency is relatively easy to improve •Simple measures have resulted in large energy savings •Powering down empty buildings saves energy, money, and greenhouse gas emissions

Environmental protectionAnd Economic Opportunity

Environmental protection and economic well-being do not always conflict •Reducing consumption and waste saves money •New jobs arise as old ones decline •Logging, mining, and manufacturing have declined •Opportunities in renewable energy are opening •People desire to live in areas with clean air and water, intact forests, and parks and open spaces •Protecting these boosts property values and tax revenues •Our well-being depends on a healthy environment

Reaching for the moon

Humanity, GLOBAL HUMANITY, faces a challenge more important than any previous one: achieving sustainability •It is a larger and more complex problem than going to the moon•Government, industry, and citizens all must contribute •Human ingenuity is capable of dealing with these issues—we simply need to rally public and political resolve

What are some ways we can make thecrossover happen faster?

reduce current use and use over time

Radio isotopes

emit subatomic particles and high-energy radiation as they decay into lighter radioisotopes •Alpha particles -2 protons and 2 neutrons •Beta particles -1 electron They continue to decay until they become stable isotopes •Uranium-235 decays into lead-207

hydrocarbons

store an enormous amount of energy in the bonds between the atoms.

government study

subsidies - have overwhelmingly favored nonrenewable oil and gas have received 75x more subsidies than new renewable energy sources in total in the earliest years of each energy sources, oil, gas, and nuclear received far more in subsidy support than new renewables have

concentrated solar power

technologies that concentrate solar energy to generate electricity to heat a fluid

Fallout

the nuclear material ejected into the atmosphere thatsettles onto the ground below after an explosion.

Placer Mines

the obtaining of minerals from placers by washing using water to separate heavier from lighter minerals

green technologies

environmentally friendly innovations that consider the long-term impact on the environment, e.g. renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines. In the IPAT equation (Impact ~ Population * Affluence * Technology), technology can represent a positive or negative value, depending on whether it is environmentally friendly.

Mining

extraction of ore from the Earth's crust for use in industry and manufacturing

Tidal Energy

tidal energy: energy harnessed from dams that cross the outlets of tidal basins - some designs work along coastlines - rising and falling of ocean tides twice each day move large amounts of water - differences in height between low and high tides are especially great in long narrow bays

Incineration of Waste

waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities •Waste generates about 35% as much energy as burning coal. •Inside landfills, bacteria decompose waste and produce landfill gas,a mix of gases that is about 50% methane. •This can also be collected, processed, and used as a source of energy.

Waves and Tides

wave energy - the motion of waves is harnessed and converted from mechanical energy into electricity

Sweden

had been trying to reduce its fossil fuel consumption since 1970, and had largely relied on nuclear power In 1980, Sweden decided by referendum to phase out nuclear power completely by2010... largely based on Three Mile Island. The nuclear accident at the Chernobyl nuclearplant in 1986in theSoviet Union sent fallout through the atmosphere to Sweden,confirming this decision for many.

The United States

has only 4.4% of the world's population consumes 19% of its energy

Government policies regarding renewable sources

have been erratic; therefore, so have the economics

Industrial Ecology

integrates principles from engineering, chemistry, ecology, and economics to maximize both physical and economic efficiency. life-cycle analysis looks for ways to make any part of generating a process more efficient, including obtaining raw materials, manufacturing, its use, and disposal.

Nuclear energy

is the energy that holds together protons and neutrons within the nucleus of an atom

Nuclear fission

is the splitting a part of atomic nuclei Nuclei of large atoms are bombarded with neutrons, releasing energy and more neutrons, which in turn, split more atoms

Oil/Tar sands

layers of sand and clay saturated with thick, tarry petroleum residue called bitumen

Incineratorss and power generation

Incineration,or combustion, is a controlled process in which garbage is burned at very high temperatures. Emissions are the main concern with incineration.

Precious time

natural systems we depend on change rapidly Global climate change is the biggest example of this, and it is beginning to influence virtually everything in theenvironment and our society.

Oil and natural gas provide...

nearly 2/3 of the world's energy •We need to be realistic about a carbon constrained world •It is coming, it will be painful, it will take time, it won't be cheap •Everyone needs to play and pay •Research funding and talent are vital •Government, private, academic partnerships

Problems with wind

Noise •"A small minority of those exposed report annoyance and stress associated with noise perception..." [however] "Annoyance is not a disease." 2009statement from an expert panel including medical doctors, audiologists and environmental scientist assembled at University of Texas at Austin •Ugly (uglier than open pits and oil wells? Maybe more visible?) •Avian and Bat mortality•300,000 and 400,000 bird deaths annually •Interference with radar and telecommunications because of the electrical field being generated

Summary of Energy

Oil and coal are foundational resources. •Oil reserves are dependent on price; there is still lots of oil and gas available...provided we want/can pay to get it out! •A major difficulty with renewables is scaling up to serve more people. •Solar power requires significantly more sites to make a substantive energy replacement. •Solar and Wind have intermittency issues •Hydropower can only be used in an area with compatible topography and renewable precipitation -Norway and Canada! .•Noenergy source is without challenges.

Case Study - Coltan

Ore: a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be profitably extracted •Consists of two minerals - Columbite, Tantalite Democratic Republic of Congo - Soldiers controlled mining operations and forced farmers and others to work, while taking most of the ore - profits from coltan sales financed the war

Uranium

Over 99% of uranium occurs as uranium-238 •It does not emit enough neutrons for a chain reaction •We use uranium-235 (0.72%), which has a half-life of 700 million years

energy sources

People in industrialized countries consume over 100 times more resources than in pre-industrial times... AND RISING!

Be politicly active

Political engagement will be needed to guide our political leaders to enact policies for sustainability A person can exercise power by: •Voting •attending public hearings •donating to advocacy groups •Writingletters and making phone calls

acid mine drainage

Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dangerous dissolved materials such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium wash from coal and metal mines into nearby lakes and streams. Acids leach metals from the rock •This leachate is toxic to many animals •Acid drainage is natural, but accelerated by mining

Miscanthus grass

Promoting use as energy source and alternative crop for Iowa

Nuclear can go wrong

Reactor design flaws combined with operator error during a black-out drill caused a run-away reaction in the core. •Temperatures rose, water flashed to steam, causing a massive explosion.

renewable energy

Renewable Energy Campuses reduce energy use and emissions by altering their energy source •Switch from fuel oil to carbon-neutral wood chips •Switch to photovoltaic systems, solar thermal, and wind turbines to provide emission-free electricity •Institutions buy "green tags" or carbon offsets that subsidize renewable energies •Students vote to increase their fees("tax" themselves) to buy renewable energy(only costs about $10/student per year)•Education and Scientific Advances

photovoltaic solar

Solar PV cells convert sunlight directly into electricity The photovoltaic effect occurs when light hits a plate made of silicon within the PV plate

Photovoltaic Solar

Solar PV cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. stored in batteries

Following the waste stream

The linear movement of products from their manufacture to their disposal is often described as "cradle-to-grave." •The new cradle-to-cradle approach requires that materials from products are recovered and reused to create new products. •Recycling and composting (converting organic waste to mulch or humus through natural decomposition) are important parts to this, and are similar to the natural cycling of matter in ecosystems .•These are each considered recovery, because they remove waste from the waste stream.

Systemic Solutions

We can solve problems by •Addressing the symptoms •Addressingthe root cause

solar

passive solar energy collection - buildings are designed to maximize absorption of sunlight in winter active solar energy collection - uses tech to focus, move, or store solar energy (heat water)

Post-WWII

petroleum-based economy

Wind in Iowa

policy drove improved infrastructure

Peak Oil

predicted for 2030 to 2050

US energy

predominately from fossil fuels (~80% of our energy)

Ethanol

produced by fermenting biomass, generally from carbohydrate-rich crops, in a process similar to brewing beer. Growing corn to produce ethanol intensifies pesticide use, fertilizeruse, freshwater depletion, energy use, and other impacts ofindustrialized agriculture.

Open Pit Mining

a mining technique that uses a large visible pit or hole in the ground - evenly distributed minerals •Quarries= open pits for clay, gravel, sand, stone (limestone, granite, marble, slate) •The huge scale means large-scale habitat loss and aesthetic degradation •Acid drainage comes from two sources •Runoff from waste heaps•Pits fill with water •Water in abandoned pits becomes extremely acidic and can be harmful to wildlife and pollute groundwater •Regulations require waste heaps to be capped and planted with vegetation •Mines will likely leach acid for hundreds of years

nonrenewable resource

a resource that cannot be replaced

Limits for solar

all these processes produce waste, air pollution, and heavy metal emissions, and they consume energy, which brings about more air pollution, heavy metal emissions, and also greenhouse gases

Rock

an aggregate of minerals

What should we be doing on a larger scale?

be politicly active vote with our wallets pursue quality of life, not just economic growth limit population growth encourage green technologies mimic natural systems by promoting closed loop industrial processes enhance self efficiency but embrace globalization aspects pursue systemic solutions think in the long term promote research and education

Sanitary Landfills

bury waste in the ground or pile it in large mounds engineered to prevent waste from contaminating the environment. •Waste is partially decomposed by bacteria and compresses under its own weight to take up less space. •Soil is layered with the waste to speed decomposition and reduce odor and pests.

"New" renewables

wind solar geothermal heat ocean tide and wave energy globally 20% of our electric city is from renewable resources

Renewables (including Nuclear) provide

~ 17%of global energy and 33% of global electricity.

Non-metallic mining

•$7 billion/year of sand and gravel are mined in the United States and used as fill and for construction materials •Phosphates provide fertilizer •"Blood diamonds" are mined and sold to fund, prolong, and intensify wars in Angola and other areas

Food

•25% of the food students take in cafeterias becomes waste •Food services can purchase in bulk and buy organic, locally grown food •Numerous campuses have gardens or farms •Students can grow food used in dining halls •Studentsvolunteer at community gardens

Consequences

•Burning fossil fuels takes carbon from long-term storage underground and releases it into the air •Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and drives changes in global climate •CO2is the greatest impact of fossil fuel use •Methane (natural gas) itself is a greenhouse gas •Using alternative fossil fuels produces more CO2than traditional fossil fuels •Oil sands produce 14%-20% more CO2than conventional oil •Shale oil is even more polluting

Green building design

•Campus green buildings are constructed from sustainable, energy-efficient building materials •Reduce pollution, use renewable energy, and encourage efficiency in energy and water use •Leadershipin Energy and EnvironmentalDesign (LEED) standards guide thedesign andcertification ofconstruction and renovation of buildings

Platte River

•Channel is much smaller and narrower •Floodplain filling in with sediment and vegetation (native and invasive) •Impacts whooping crane and plovers •Impacts irrigation

Cleaner Extraction/ Cleaner Burning

•Coal Removal may result in acid mine drainage Burning coal emits a variety of pollutants Sulfur, nitrogen, mercury, arsenic, and other trace metals, CARBON DIOXIDE, METHANE (GREENHOUSE GASES)

Population Sustainability

•Continued human population growth is not sustainable •Technology has expanded the Earth's carrying capacity •Developed countries need to be aware of the impacts each additional child has on the overall system •Sooner or later, growth trend will end, but how? •Through wars, plagues, famine??? •Or through voluntary means as a result of wealth and education •Helping developing countries through demographic transitions

What is the University of Iowa doing to make a better future?

•Designing buildings to have a smaller energy footprint. •Reducing waste (usage reduction, diverting waste) •EcoHawks •Composting Program •Buying local (reduces transportation waste) •Converting electrical production to renewable source •Bike rack availability

Electronic Waste

•Electronic waste (e-waste) includes obsolete computers, MP3 players, cell phones, and other electronic devices. •Due to the heavy metals and flame retardants in e-waste, the EPA and many states are beginning to treat it as hazardous waste. •A combination of devices becoming smaller and an increase in recycling rates has decreased the amount of e-waste ending up in the waste stream.

If we combine petroleum and coal, gas and nuclear, and the renewables...

•Gas and nuclear will cross the foundational resources @2080 •Renewables will not be able to replace oil andcoal, at least not shortly (althoughsome research argues this point)

Why are we investing in these renewables?

•Growing concerns over diminishing fossil fuel supplies •Environmental and health impacts of burning fossil fuels •Advances in technology making it easier and cheaper

Hazardous Waste

•Ignitable: Likely to catch fire .•Corrosive: Can corrode metals in storage tanks or equipment .•Reactive: Chemically unstable and readily able to react with other substances. •Toxic: Harmful to human health when inhaled, ingested, or touched. •Many synthetic organic compounds are toxic because they are readily absorbed through the skin and can act as mutagens, carcinogens, teratogens, and endocrine disruptors. •They are also persistent, meaning they do not break down easily. •Heavy metals like lead and mercury are fat soluble and break down slowly, making them prone to bioaccumulate and biomagnify.

Consumption

•In 2013, the average American consumed more than 17,200 kg (38,000 lb) of new minerals and fuels every year •A child born in 2015 will, at current use rates, use 1.4 million kg (3.1 million lbs) during their lifetime

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

•Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health 1.sustainable site development 2.water savings 3.energy efficiency 4.materials selection 5.indoorenvironmentalquality

Fracking

•Methane and drilling chemicals escape into the air, causing unhealthy conditions •Immense amounts of wastewater are produced •Water may contain salts, radioactive compounds, and toxic substances •Often sent to sewage treatment plants that are not designed to treat these pollutants

Economics

•Mining provides jobs for people and revenue for many communities •In 2012, raw materials from mining gave $76 billion to the U.S. economy

Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies

•Nation's first LEED-Platinum sustainable building •Colleges and Universities and the students they educate are playing a crucial role in spreading sustainability ideas and practices. •But efforts need to be expanded to every level from the individual to the nation

Nuclear power

•Nuclear energy occupies an odd and conflicted position in the debate over energy •Not technically "renewable," although uranium is abundant •It is free of air pollution, including greenhouse gases •It has been clouded by weaponry, waste disposal, and accidents •Public safety concerns have led to limited development

Cottonwood adapted to Flooding

•Often need fresh, bare flood deposits in spring to establish •Root growth follows groundwater decline after floods •Not long lived...old trees removed via erosion, new trees on the point bar

Environmental Issues

•Oil Spills -Deepwater Horizon, Valdez, Embridge(Kalamazoo), lots of little spills •Shale Gas -Groundwater Contamination from Fracking •Coal -Strip mining, Mountaintop removal, acid drainage

Disposal of Hazardous WASTE

•Prior to the Love Canal disaster in the 1970s, hazardous waste was discarded without special treatment.

Case Study: Recyclemania

•Recyclemania is a competition that pits educational institutions against each other •Recycling reduces pollution from the mining of new resources and the manufacture of new goods. schools compete in other ways, such as savings in water use and energy use. •Programs like this have made recycling the most widespread activity among campus sustainability efforts.

Regulation and Economics influence Industrial Solid Waste Generation

•State and local governments regulate industrial solid waste, which generally has less strict regulations than those for municipal solid waste.

Strip Mining

•Strip mining: method of mining shallow horizontal deposits in which layers of soil and rock are removed to expose the resource •Overburden: overlying soil and rock that is removed by heavy machinery

Subsurface mines

•Subsurface mines= mines that access deep pockets of a mineral through shafts and tunnels that follow deposits •Mines can cause damage, even after they are closed

Three methods of disposal

•Surface impoundments are shallow depressions lined with plastic and an impervious material that are used to store liquid hazardous waste The water evaporates from the waste, leaving a solid residue that is removed and transported for permanent disposal. •Deep-well injections drill deep beneath the water table into porous rock, and wastes are injected into it. •Radioactive Impoundments are lined tombs in solid rock that are away from population centers, seismic activity, and ground water

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

•The city of Edmonton composts about half of its waste stream along with dried sewage sludge in a gigantic aeration building. •More than 80,000 tons of compost is generated annually.

Recycling

•Various programs and efforts have increased recycling rates in the United States from 6.4% of the waste stream in 1960 to 34.6% in 2017. Economics -- Recycling rates vary greatly from one state to the next and from one material to another. •Low commodity prices can pose a challenge to recycling programs. •When world oil prices are low, buying new plastic may be cheaper than recycled plastic. •When market prices of metals are low, newly mined metals can be cheaper than recycled ones.

Two main types ofwind turbines

•Vertical axis turbines •Horizontal axis turbines •These do the same job, though can be built with different axes to accommodate different situations and requirements.

Keystone and Keystone XL

•Why do proponents say we need this pipeline? •To streamline delivery •To remove the traffic from the roads and rail lines (bakkantoo!) •To keep Canada as an oil partner...we don't want the oil going elsewhere (e.g., China) •Jobs!!

"conventionalalternatives"

•alternative energy sources to fossil fuels that are already well-established and in wide use .•Biofuels •Hydropower •Nuclear

Bioenergy

Bioenergy is energy derived from biomass. •Biomass consists of organic material derived from living or recently living organisms, and it contains chemical energy that originated with sunlight and photosynthesis. bioenergy is renewable and releases no net carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Any carbon released had been absorbed in the production of the biomass.

Research and Education

By promoting scientific research and by educating the public about environmental science, more and more people can become part of sustainable solutions

Mimicking Nature

Having industrial systems operate in cycles, like environmental ones, would vastly reduce waste production

waste

Material outputs from a system that are not useful or consumed •Municipal solid waste: nonliquid waste that comes from homes, institutions, and small businesses "trash" .•Industrial solid waste: includes waste from production of consumer goods, mining, agriculture, and petroleum extraction and refining. •Hazardous waste: solid or liquid waste that is toxic, chemically reactive, flammable, or corrosive. •Wastewater: water we use that we drain or flush.

Transportation Alternatives

Solutions include.... - expanding use and shuttle systems -alternative vehicles and fuel - bikes, walking, etc encouraged

Oil and Gas

Source: the rock where the organic matter is buried and preserved as part of the lithosphere Reservoir: the rock that holds the hydrocarbon in pore space Seal: the impermeable rock that traps the hydrocarbon, keeping it from bubbling to the surface

Sustanability

The ability to keep in existence or maintain. A sustainable ecosystem is one that can be maintained •Sustainability means living in a way that can be lived far into the future .•sustainability strives to meet and secure present needs without compromising future generations. •SustainabilityDOES NOT mean just protecting the environment from humans

Clean Energy

The world has 436 operating nuclear plants in 30 nations Nuclear power helps us avoid emitting 600 million metric Power plants pose fewer health risks from pollution •Safer for miners and plan workers than coal-fired plants •Although still messy, Uranium mining damages less land than coal mining

If we combine nuclear, natural gas, and renewables to replace foundational fuels the crossover is projected to come 50 years out

To achieve this, the natural gas production will have to double. •We will also need 3X the number of nuclear reactors. •Renewable sources will have to 5X

Long Term Perspective

To be sustainable, a solution must work in the long term

Consume power

We wield influence in the choices we make as consumers ! The more we support, the more options we have and the cheaper theproducts will become!

Local and global approaches

When people feel closely tied to the area in which they live, they tend to value the area and seek to sustain its environment and its human community.

Coal

a dark, brittle, carbon-rich, low-silica sedimentary rock Formed from organic matter (woody plant material) compressed under very high pressure to form dense, solid carbon structures

fossil fuels

highly combustible substances formed from the remains of organisms (primarily photosynthetic plants and plankton) from past geologic ages.