12/6/13 5th/6th

Bellringer: Rare earth in China

Turn in Mineral I.D. Lab

Notes: IMPACTS of FOSSIL FUELS

Rare Earth in China

Rare Earth minerals are VERY economically beneficial and VERY environmentally harmful to get.

Should the USA start mining Rare Earth again or let China to continue to make LOTS of profits while harming their environment?? Explain your reasoning.

12/9/13 4th

Bellringer: Dirty Fuel

Turn in Mineral ID

Impacts of Fossil Fuels NOTES

Dirty Fuel

Coal is considered the “Dirtiest” Fuel.

What does this actually mean?

Impacts of Burning Fossil Fuels

How is Electricity Generated?

What elements do plants and animals consist of?

Nitrogen

Carbon

Hydrogen

Oxygen

Phosphorus

Sulfur

(+ Mercury, discussed later)

What elements do fossil fuels consist of?

Nitrogen

Carbon

Hydrogen

Oxygen

Phosphorus

Sulfur

(Mercury, discussed later)

When fossil fuels are burned, what elements get released?

• Nitrogen

• Carbon

• Hydrogen

• Oxygen

• Phosphorus

• Sulfur

• (+ Mercury, discussed later)

An Easy Way to Think of This

N.C.H.O.P.S.

(+Hg)

How are pollutants formed when coal is burned?

NCHOPS are released into the air in different chemical forms.

N2 and O2

produce NO2

(nitrogen dioxide)

How are pollutants formed when coal is burned?

C and O2

produce CO2 and CO

(carbon dioxide &

carbon monoxide)

How are pollutants formed when coal is burned?

H2 and O2 produce H2O

(water)

How are pollutants formed when coal is burned?

P and O2

produce P2O5(phosphorus pentoxide)*

*P2O5 IS NOT RELEASED INTO ATMOSPHERE

How are pollutants formed when coal is burned?

S and O2

produce SO2 and SO3

(sulfur dioxide & sulfur trioxide)

Mercury (Hg)

Mercury combines with Carbon and Hydrogen

CH3Hg

Element PollutantELEMENT POLLUTANT

N NO2 NO3

C CO CO2

H H2O

O Most contain oxygen

P P2O5

S SO2 SO3

Hg CH3Hg

Negative impacts of NCHOPS #1-5

Negative Impact #1 Acid Rain

NCHOPS can produce acid rain when they are chemically combined with water in the atmosphere

NO2 reacts with water to form nitric acid (HNO3)

CO2 reacts with water to form carbonic acid (H2CO3)

SO3 reacts with water to form sulfuric acid (H2SO4)

Negative Impacts #2 Smog

NOx produces smog, which is ground level ozone.

An estimated 140 million Americans live in areas with unhealthy levels of smog according to the The American Lung Association.

Los Angeles = SMOG City

Negative Impacts #3 Green House Gasses

Coal and other energy uses are the single largest source of GHGs in the U.S. and the world

Negative Impacts #4 Particulates

• Pollution in solid form can be inhaled which leads to health problem

• Asthma, cancer and death

• People who live near coal plants are at much greater risk

Petcoke in Chicago

Negative Impacts #5Mercury

Mercury accumulates in the atmosphere and falls to the earth during precipitation

Mercury is a “heavy-metal” and it Bio-Accumulates up the food chain

Adverse risks to pregnancy and child development

EPA Fish Consumption Advisory

Mercury in Lakes Besides answering the question, tell me what paragraph you found the answers

You may have used more than one paragraph for an answer

Biomagnification

1) Explain what happens to biomass (energy) as you move up trophic levels

2) Explain what happens to persistent pollutants (like Mercury) as you move up trophic levels

Biological magnification

pollutants become more concentrated in organisms higher in the food chain

Biomass decreases Pollutants increase

12/9/13 5th/6th

Bellringer: Dihydrogen Monoxide

Finish: Impacts of Fossil Fuels Notes

Read: Loons in Wisconsin

DiHydrogen Monoxide

1) Should DHMO be banned? Explain why or why not?

2) ***ANSWER AFTER OUR DISCUSSION***

Explain how this article uses Sensationalism (the use of exciting/shocking language at the expense of accuracy) to lead to an uneducated decision by the reader.

12/11/13 4th

Bellringer: Mercury in Fish

Finish Notes

Start Acid Rain Lab

Mercury in Fish1) Based on the amounts of Mercury in

each fish, name 2 fishes that are top predators and 2 fishes that are low on the food chain.

2) Which is the safest combination (lowest mercury) to buy at the grocery store?a) Marlin, Bluefish and Halibut

b) Catfish, Cod and Bigeye Tuna

Global, Regional, or Local?

1. Acid Rain

2. Smog

3. Greenhouse Gasses

4. Particulates

5. Mercury/Bioaccumulation

1. Regional

2. Local

3. Global

4. Local

5. Regional

Tradeoffs

Which is Better?

Cheaper electricity with higher emissions

Expensive electricity with lower emissions

Long-Term vs. Short Term

Can the average American make the investment to more expensive, ecofriendly energy?

Coal Review

Pros and Cons

Pros of Coal Power

• Cheap• Cheaper per unit energy than oil or natural gas• Will continue to be an important global resource

• Abundant• Coal is the world’s most abundant fossil fuel• Sufficient reserves for the next 250 years

Pros of Coal PowerUSAGE

• Supplying approximately 50% of electricity to the USA

Economy

• Coal-mining stimulates over one million jobs in the

• U.S.Coal contributes over $80 billion annually to the economy

Cons of Coal Power

• GHGs

• Pollutants

(Smog, Acid Rain, Particulates, Mercury)

• NON-RENEWABLE (will run out)

• Long term problems will be EXPENSIVE

Future of Coal Clean coal technology

• New type of coal-burning power plants with technology to reduce pollution emissions

“Scrubber”

How to rely less on Coal1) Energy Conservation… (use less energy).

• Heating/Cooling our houses• Unplugging Appliances• Less dependence on cars.

2) Technology… (use smarter energy)• Switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy• This can be done on the national/global level

or on the individual level

Next Up…Investigating the Impacts of Coal

Mercury

Acid Rain

Greenhouse Gasses and Climate Change

Energy Conservation

Making the Switch to Green Energy

Text Coding

________ = Topic Sentence/Main Idea

✔ = Already know this

K = Important

? = Confusing/Question

! = Wow

( circle ) = Unknown Word

Mercury Journey

Diagram or describe the journey of one molecule of mercury from inside a piece of coal…

into the atmosphere…

into a body of water…

up the food chain…

and into the fat cells of a human

12/11/13 5th/6th

Bellringer: Mercury in Fish

Begin Acid Rain Lab

Mercury in Fish1) Based on the amounts of Mercury in each

fish, name 3 top predators and 3 that are low on the food chain.

2) Which is the safest combination to buy at the grocery store?a) Marlin, Bluefish and Halibut

b) Catfish, Cod and Bigeye Tuna

c) Grouper, Albacore Tuna and Bass

Acid Rain Lab

Take care of equipment

Be able to “stop on a dime” and listen to directions

Start together, then work at your own speed

EVERYONE helps clean up with 5 minutes left.

12/12/13

Bellringer: Make it (Acid) Rain

Complete Part II - Acid Rain Lab

Making Acid Rain

Why did the pH of the water decrease when we blew CO2 into the water?

…EXPLAIN IN DETAIL

…including the chemical equation involved!

How can we “buffer” the pH back to a neutral level?

12/13/13

Bellringer: Smog in China VIDEO

pH Buffer Graph

Finish Acid Rain Lab

NEXT WEEK: Climate Change Children’s Book & Energy Exam (Thursday)

Water Distribution

Renew-a-Bean

Mineral ID LAB

(project grades)

Smog in ChinaIs smog simply the “cost” of development? Explain. (America had its most severe environmental issues during the Industrial Revolution)

Bonus: Besides cold-weather (more coal being burned to heat homes) why does DECEMBER result in the highest levels of smog in CHINA?????

Part II Graph

Discuss with your neighbor. What should your graph look like for part II?

Negative Effects of NCHOPS

Look at your notes (or a neighbor’s notes) from before break.

Write down the 5 Negative Impacts of Burning Coal and releasing NCHOPS into the air.

Negative ImpactsMercury (biomagnification)

Acid Rain

Particulates

Smog

Green House Gases

Negative Impacts #5Mercury

One of the most dangerous toxins released into the air when coal is burned

Released mercury accumulated into the atmosphere and falls to the earth during precipitation

Mercury is a “heavy-metal” and it Bio-Accumulates up the food chain

Food ChainsWhat is this Food Chain???

Trophic Levels

Latin Roots

Hydro: WATER

Lipo: FAT

Phobic: Fear (does not mix)

Phyllic: Love (does mix)

1962

DDT banned in 1973