Tar Sand and Coal

U.S. coal reserves represent about ___ times the energy remaining in proven oil reserves and ___ times the energy in proven natural gas reserves

50, 40

The open-pit mining of the ______ oils sands destroys the boreal forest, the bogs, the rivers as well as the natural landscape

Alberta

Fortunately, the Canadian tar sand are concentrated in three regions in the state of ______. This concentration means that some of these deposits are currently ________ to mine

Alberta, economic

formed during the forth stage of coal formation. It is the most valuable and highest grade of coal, and has a carbon content of 92-98%

Anthracite

the third stage of coal formation. Additional pressure over time has made it compact and virtually all traces of plant life have disappeared. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than anthracite coal. It is greatly used in industry as a source of heat energy

Bituminous Coal

a complex molecular mix of 60-80% carbon, plus oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, plus some occasional impurities like sulfur

Bituminous coal

usually black, sometimes dark brown, often with well-defined bands of bright and dull material. It is a relatively hard coal

Bituminous coal

85% of all tar sand deposits occur in ______

Canada

It is estimated that coal mine fires in _____ burn about 200 million tons of coal each year. These fires release about 360 million metric tons of ______ _______ greenhouse gas emissions per year

China, carbon dioxide

The purpose of the contentious _______ ___ _______ is to ship the tar sand oil to refineries in the U.S.

Keystone XL Pipeline

The _______ No. 6 & No. 8 Mine disaster in West Virginia occurred at 10:20 am on December 6, 1907 and is the "the worst mining disaster in American history"

Monongah

The areas of greatest acidity (lowest pH values) are located in the ________ U.S.

Northeastern

firmly opposed to this Keystone XL pipeline and continues to block the portion that will cross the U.S.- Canadian Border

Obama administration

The products of coalification are divided into four major categories based on the carbon content of the material:

Peat, Lignite, Bituminous, Anthracite

On December 22, 2008, there was a catastrophic collapse of the dyke around an ash retention pond at the ____ coal- powered electricity generating facility at Kingston, Tennessee

TVA

explosion occurred on April 5, 2010 and killed 29 miners. Due to the large concentration of toxic gases in the mine, MSHA investigators had to wait for over two months to enter the mine to investigate the explosion

Upper Big Branch Mine

Coal-bed methane is already being produced in _____

Utah

In fact, serious tar sand mining began before ____

WWII

These sulfur gases also react with water in the atmosphere to produce sulfuric acid, which is a very strong acid. This acid falls to earth as _____ _____

acid rain

can acidify soil, stunting plant growth. It can kill fish and other aquatic life, dissolve rocks, destroy the surface of building facades and monuments

acid rain

_______ in rain is measured by collecting samples of rain and measuring its pH

acidity

The process of forming coal works best under ________ conditions since the reaction with oxygen during decay destroys the organic matter

anaerobic

differs from bituminous coal by its greater hardness and higher density. Plus, it burns far more efficiently with less smoke

anthracite

produces twice the energy (BTUs) of lignite

anthracite

The ____ residue left after coal is burned is typically 5-20% of the original volume. It is primarily composed primarily of non- combustible silicate minerals, but also contains toxic metals

ash

The average coal- fired power plant produces one million tons of ____ per year, which is usually buried

ash

When dumped onto the surface, the fine-grained ____ weathers very rapidly, releasing toxic metals, such as selenium, creating a serious water-pollution threat.

ash

Tar sands, also referred to as oil sands or bituminous sands, are a combination of clay, sand, water, and a solid, tar-like petroleum, called _______

bitumen

There are about 174 billion barrels of crude ______ which are economically recoverable from the three Alberta oil sands areas at current prices using current technology

bitumen

far too thick to flow out of the rock

bitumen

46% of the U.S. reserves are ________ and _______

bituminous, anthracite

The mining industry believes that the ______ ______ will eventually colonize the reclaimed lands, yet 30 years after the opening of the first open pit mine in the region no land is considered as having been "restored"

boreal forest

The formation of coal from dead plant matter requires:

burial, pressure, heat and time

It is the ______ content of the coal that supplies most of its heating value

carbon

Coal is a major source of the greenhouse gas, ______ ________

carbon dioxide

As the coals becomes harder, their _____ content increases, and so does the amount of ____ released

carbon, heat

The greater the ______ to _______ ratio the harder the coal, the more reduced the state of the carbons and the more potential energy it contains

carbon, oxygen

The U.S. possesses 25% of all the known ____ in the world

coal

U.S. _____ deposits are already mapped, so there would be no exploration cost

coal

can also be converted into liquid fuels like gasoline or diesel by several different processes

coal

currently provides 23% of the total U.S. energy needs

coal

releases more carbon dioxide per unit energy burned than natural gas or oil

coal

The coal is heated inside a large oven and blasted with steam. The coal is converted into carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas

coal classification

In particular, ____ _______ has a bad history of dangerous working conditions, serious health problems and the highest death rate among miners

coal mining

When used for many industrial processes, bituminous coal must first be "______" to remove volatile components

coked

achieved by heating the coal in the absence of oxygen, which drives off volatile hydrocarbons such as propane, benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons, and some sulfur gases and a considerable amount of the contained water of the bituminous coal

coking

There are currenty 55,000 miles of _____ ___ pipelines in the U.S.

crude oil

For every barrel of oil produced from tar sands in Alberta, more than 80 kg of ________ ______ are released into the atmosphere and between 2 and 4 barrels of _____ _____ are dumped into tailing ponds that have flooded about 50 square kilometers of forest and bogs

greenhouse gases, waste water

_______ gas burns very easily

hydrogen

is inefficient to transport and is not traded extensively on the world market compared to higher coal grades It is often burned in power stations constructed very close to the mines

lignite

often referred to as brown coal, is the lowest rank of coal and used almost exclusively as fuel for steam-electric power generation. It has a high inherent moisture content, sometimes as high as 66 percent, and very high ash content compared to bituminous coal

lignite

the second step in the formation of coal and is formed when peat is subjected to increased vertical pressure from accumulating sediments

lignite

During the formation of coal deposits, quantities of _______-rich gas are also formed

methane

It is estimated that 100 trillion cubic feet of _______ can be economically recovered from existing U.S. coal beds

methane

Critics contend that measures taken to minimize environmental and health risks posed by large-scale _______ ________ are inadequate, potentially causing damage to archaeological sites and natural resources

mining operations

The ___ _____ after surface removal are further broken up and then extracted from the rock pores by subjecting the material to hot water and other chemicals, such as sodium hydroxide

oil sands

The U.S. has consumed half of our ___ reserves, but only a few percent of our ____ reserves

oil, coal

Now that ___ and ___ are dwindling, many energy producers and users are looking again at the potential of coal

oil, gas

an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter and is the first stage in the formation of coal. forms in wetlands, variously called bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and swamps

peat

contains a large amount of water and must be dried before use. Historically, it has been used as a source of heat and burns with a long flame and considerable smoke

peat

found in many places around the world, notably in Russia, Ireland, Finland, Scotland, Poland, northern Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, and in North America

peat

still mined as a fuel in Ireland and England. is stacked to slowly dry out

peat

Unlike _______, coal is not formed from marine organisms, but from the remains of land plants

petroleum

The oil-bearing sand is piped into a large settling tank where the heavy sand settles to the bottom, water settles above that, and the oil floats to the top, where it can be removed for _______

refining

Most coal-burning power plants have _______ in the smoke stacks that remove most, but not all of the sulfur gas emissions

scrubbers

The ______ content of coal can be as high as 3%, with some in the form of the iron sulfate mineral pyrite (FeS2) and some bound in the remaining organic matter

sulfur

The pollutant of special concern with coal is ______. These gases are poisonous and are extremely irritating to both eyes and lungs

sulfur

A ______ setting, in which plant growth is lush and where there is water to cover fallen trees, dead leaves and other plant debris, is ideal for the initial stages to create coal

swampy

About 88% of Canada's known petroleum reserves are ___ _____

tar sands

also referred to as oil sands or bituminous sands, are a combination of clay, sand, water, and a solid, tar-like petroleum

tar sands

_______ coal mining is notoriously dangerous

underground

a potential pollution problem

waste water

Approximately 60% of the world's _______ have peat

wetlands