Environmental Geology & Earth Resources

Risk Assessment of Nuclear Energy ?

- Most serious U.S. accident = Three Mile Island in PA in 1979 -Meltdown = Coolant H2O drained from reactor -Most serious accident = Chernobyl in Ukraine (1986) -Explosion (human error) 1. Radiation escaped for 10 days -Most recent accident=Fukishima in Japan in 2011 -Explosion (Tsunami) -Released radiation for 10 weeks

How do we use Natural Gas ?

- Used to generate electricity, heat homes, & cook -Liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship & store it, but... -Risks of explosion

We consume _____ more energy/person than developing nations

-100x

Natural Gas Punchlines?

-Fastest growing, but... -Costly to extract -Dangerous to transport - Not all takes millions of years to produce... -Biogenic gas from landfills -Cleaner to burn than others, but not clean -Estimated at 60 years based on current usage

Can we do anything about the environmental effects of extracting fossil fuels?

-Growing industry (minimills) -Remelt & reshape scrap iron and steel -Use 1/2 the energy of new steel production

Feed-in tariff system

-Utilizes buy power -Amazing economic opportunity (China)

Natural Gas is often wasted...

1. Coalbed methane - Leaks to atmosphere (mining) 2. Flared Natural Gas (burn off) -Common at oil-drilling areas -Anybody not wasting it ? -Some try to recapture= pump into ground or pipeline out or... -Landfills produce and harvest biogenic natural gas

Layers of Earth

1. Core (hot mass of metal) -mostly iron -solid in center, but generates... 2. Mantle -layers of rock 3. Crust -brittle rock

Geological Hazards of extracting fossil fuels...

1. Earthquakes 2.Tsunami 3. Volcanic Eruptions

What are other options of energy ?

1. Energy efficiency -Results from technological improvements 2. Energy conservation -Results from behavioral choices 3. Incorporate Renewable Energy -Be less wasteful -Reduce our environmental impact 4. Conventional Alternatives

Two approaches of solar energy ?

1. Passive Solar Energy = Design buildings to absorb sunlight in winter , & keep cool in summer 2. Active Solar Energy = Technology to capture, focus, move, or store solar energy

Environmental Effects? (of extracting fossil fuels)

1. Strip Mining= Deposits near surface -Heavy machinery removes huge amounts of Earth -When "restored" revegetates slowly 2. Abandoned Mines common -Emit 100 toxic air pollutants/ yr.(U.S.) -Degrade air & H2O quality 3. Underground Mining= Underground deposits via dug tunnels and use of H2O 4.Mountaintop Removal= entire mountaintops cut off -Environmentally destructive -Common in the Appalachian Mountains 5.Fracking= Extracting deep CH4 gas a. H2O, sand, & toxic chemicals pumped into ground b. by-product= salty water(75,000 L/day)= dumped into streams c. Earthquakes ? 6. Processing metals- two ways? -Contaminates air, H2O, & soil a. Smelting= roasting ore to release metals -Air pollutants released b. Heap-leach extraction -H2O used to pulverize mixed w/toxic chemical (H2O unable reuse)

Where does Natural Gas come from ?

1. Thermogenic Gas -CH4 and other gases DEEP underground 2. Biogenic Gas -Pure CH4 SHALLOWLY under ground via anaerobic (swamp or landfill gas)

What are the types of Renewable Energy ?

1. Wind 2. Solar 3. Biomass 4. Hydroelectricity

Metals that are essential to our society

1.Iron (740 million metric tons/year) 2.Aluminum (40 million metric tons/year) 3.Manganese (22.4 million metric tons/year) 4.Copper(8 million) 5.Nickel(0.7 million)

Coal is estimated to last at a _____ based on current usage.

100 yrs.

Petroleum's EROI ?

100:1 (1940's) , now about 5:1 (2012)

Renewables are only ___ of U.S energy

12%

U.S. , Russia , & China hold ____ of all COAL

2/3

Coal's EROI ?

30:1 (1950's) , now about 10:1 (2012)

Natural Gas EROI ?

38:1 (1993), now about 15:1 (2012)

U.S oil changed from 100:1 to ____

5:1

Petroleum

A.K.A Crude Oil = mixture of hydrocarbons -1.5-3 km (1-2 mi) underground -Transformed by time, heat, & pressure

EROI of wind ?

About 23:1 (2012)

Can we do anything with all that 238U ?

Breeder Reactors : use 238U -Neutron added to 238U=239PU -More power & less waste

Who leads in wind usage proportion ?

Denmark

Solar Energy

Each m2 of Earth receives 1 kilowatt of solar energy (17x energy of a light bulb)

How do we get fossil fuels and what do we do with them?

Energy Returned on Investment (EROI)

Nuclear Energy

Energy holding protons & neutrons together w/in nucleus

Most of the rest of energy comes from...

Fossil Fuels

_________ are nonrenewable (to replenish would take MILLIONS of years)

Fossil Fuels

Leading producer of solar usage ?

Germany

Fossil Fuels

Highly combustible substance derived from organisms of past geological ages

Where does coal come from ?

Most abundant fossil fuel (300-400 mya) Organic matter (woody plant material) Compressed under very high pressure

Coal Punchlines?

Most abundant, but... Costly to extract Dirty to burn (SO2, CO2, mercury)

Wind Drawbacks

Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) syndrome

Current Realistic Alternatives of Energy ?

Nuclear Power Renewable Energy (less to 0 environmental impact)

What has replaced biomass as a dominant source of energy ?

Oil, coal, and natural gas

Water or Rock Planet?

Rock planet (layered)

Who has the most Natural Gas?

Russia & the Middle East

Oil Sands ( tar sands)

Sand deposits Degraded & chemically altered crude oil deposits -Stip mined, special extraction, & refining -Mostly in Venezuela & Alberta (Keystone Pipeline) EROI ? 3:!

Where does energy of the Earth come from?

Solar, photosynthesis, biomass

Nuclear Fission

Split apart atomic nuclei -1 neutron carefully controlled of the 2 or 3 , if all react, then BOOM , nuclear BOMB

Natural Gas has the ______ growth in use fossil fuel. (CH4 & other volatile hydrocarbons)

fastest

Renewable Energies are _______ fast .

growing

Historically, fossil fuels had ____ EROI's

high

Global consumption _____ than ever

higher

EROI

is the ratio of the amount of usable energy delivered from a particular energy resource to the amount of energy used to obtain that energy resource

Electricity cost ____ more from nuclear than from coal et al

more

U.S. (4.5% of world population) , yet consume ___of ALL energy in the World

more than 20%

Petroleum is the world's _____ used fuel

most