Nonrenewable Energy Resources & Consumption

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Megawatt (MW)

1,000,000 W or 1000 kW

How many times greater is methane's global warming potential compared to carbon dioxide?

25

Nuclear energy

Atomic nuclei undergo fission to produce heat and other byproducts

5%

Average efficiency of an incandescent light bulb to produce light

What are the environmental benefits of fracking?

Burning natural gas is "cleaner" than oil or gasoline,emits a lot less CO2, less NOx & SOx, compared to coal & oil combustion

Allowance trading

Cap and trade program for SO2 emissions

Rank of countries of coal production & consumptioin

China, India, United States

Synfuels

Class of fuels that created as a result of refining/reprocessing; example is tar sands

Which type of fuel is primarily responsible for acid rain in the U.S.?

Coal

High-level waste

Contains high amounts of radioactive material with long half-lives

Low-level waste

Contains low amounts of radioactive materials, for a short amount of time (short half-lives)

France

Country with the highest percentage of nuclear power usage

Venezuela

Country with the largest oil reserves

Hydrocarbons

Derived from living matter that is transformed by biological or geological processes into durable organic compounds

What are the political benefits of fracking?

Development of a "home-grown" energy source; not dependent on a foreign source!

Chemical method for cleaning up oil

Dispersants that break the oil down into droplets

Where is the overburden from mountain top removal placed?

Dumped into adjacent valleys

1st Law of Thermodynamics

Energy and matter cannot be created nor destroyoed

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

Energy transformations often result in "waste heat" which results in a loss of efficiency

Drawbacks to scrubber technology

Expensive CaSO3 sludge is put into landfills

Purpose of water in a nuclear reactor

Functions as the moderator during the fission reaction

Risk associated with nuclear energy (water related)

Generates thermal pollution due to hot water from reactors getting dumped in nearby waterways

Products of coal extraction

Hg, As, acid mine drainage

Physical methods for cleaning up oil

In-situ burning, dredging/vacuuming, booms, skimmers, absorbent materials

U-238

Isotope of uranium that is naturally occuring

U-235

Isotope of uranium that is used for nuclear fission (enriched)

What are the economic benefits of fracking?

Job creation, generation of tax revenue

Radioactive by-products of fission

Kr-85 and Ba-141

Benefit of tar sands

Large potential supplies

Acid mine drainage

Leftover mine "tailings" acidifies streams and groundwater resources

Lignite

Lowest quality coal type

Methane

Main component of natural gas

Hydraulic fracturing

Method of extraction for natural gas and oil by creating cracks within rocks; requires sand, additives, and lots of water!

Biological method for cleaning up oil

Microbes

Crude oil

Name of oil as it comes straight from the ground

Which fossil fuel is used the most in the United States?

Natural gas

Why is it impossible for nuclear energy to completely replace oil and gas in the future?

Nuclear power can provide electricity but it cannot replace other uses of oil and gas

Meltdown

Occurs when uncontrolled fission reactions take place

How does natural gas and oil get transported across the United States?

Pipelines

Methane

Potent greenhouse gas; emitted during the fracking process and in the combustion of natural gas

Peat

Precursor to coal; forms when plant debris builds up under oxygen-poor conditions

Electricity

Primary use of coal in the United States

Fractional distillation

Process by which crude oil is refined and separated into different components by differences in boiling point

Radon

Product of the radioactive decay of uranium; long-term exposure leads to lung cancer

Efficiency

Proportion of energy used vs. energy degraded

Natural gas

Referred to the "gateway" to renewable energy resource usage

Electrical current

Refers to the current of moving electrons

What is the environmental impact the air due to fracking?

Releases methane, benzene, toulene

Drawback of tar sands

Requires additional processing to make fuel "usable"

Fossil fuels

Resources that were made from compressed carbon over a span of million years

Surface Mining Reclamation and Control Act of 1977

Restore areas that have been actively mined; no mining in 'sensitive areas'

Products of coal combustion

SOx, NOx, CO2, Hg

What is the environmental impact on land due to fracking?

Seismic activity can be induced (because of drilling)

Oil

Supplies the most commercial energy in the world today

Anthracite

The most "aged" type of coal and thus the "best" type of coal

Mountain top removal (a form of strip mining)

The most common extraction method for coal

Bituminous

Type of coal used to generate electricity

Tar sands

Underground sand deposits permeated with bitumen (a by-product of decomposed organic material)

Aquifer

Underground water storage (a.k.a. drinking water)

Net energy

Usable amount of high quality energy

Tc-99

Used for detecting brain and lung tumors

I-131

Used for detecting thyroid disorders

Scrubbers

Used to reduce sulfur emissions in coal-burning power plants

What is the environmental impact on water due to fracking?

Water used in drilling is contaminated, must be disposed of properly; potential contamination of aquifer while drilling

Where is nuclear waste presently stored?

We store in on site, deep underground, in steel containers


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