Unit 4: Earth’s

ResourcesEnvironmental Science

NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES

A nonrenewable resource is a natural resource that cannot be re-made or re-grown at a scale comparable to its consumption.

COAL, PETROLEUM, AND GAS

Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are considered nonrenewable

because they can not be replenished in a short period of

time. These are called fossil fuels.

HOW IS COAL MADE ???

HOW ARE OIL AND GAS MADE ???

WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COAL AND OIL/GAS?

NUCLEAR ENERGYNuclear fission

uses uranium to create energy.

Nuclear energy is a nonrenewable

resource because once the uranium

is used, it is gone!

RENEWABLE RESOURCES

Renewable resources are natural resources that can be replenished in a short period of time.

● Solar ● Geothermal● Wind ● Biomass● Water

SOLAR

Energy from the sun.

Why is energy from the sun renewable?

GEOTHERMAL

Energy from Earth’s heat.

Why is energy from the heat of the Earth

renewable?

WIND Energy from the wind.

Why is energy from

the wind renewable?

BIOMASSEnergy from

burning organic or

living matter.

Why is energy from biomass renewable?

WATER or HYDROELECTRIC

Energy from the flow of

water.

Why is energy of flowing

water renewable?

Metal ResourcesBiggest Users of Metals• United States• Japan• EuropeBiggest Producers• South America• South Africa• Former Soviet Union .

Metal ResourcesMetal Uses

Iron Heavy machinery, steel production

Aluminum Packaging foods & beverages, transportation, electronics

Manganese High-strength, high-resistant steel alloys

Copper Building construction, electric/electroni industry

Chromium High strength steel alloy

Nickel Chemical industry, steel alloys

Lead Leaded gasoline, car batteries, paint, ammunition

Silver Photography, electronics, jewelry

Gold Medical, aerospace, electronic use, money, jewelry

Platinum Automobile catalytic converters, electronics, medical uses, jewelry-

Non-Metal Resources• Sand & gravel

– Uses: brick & concrete construction, paving, road filler, sandblasting, glass (high silica content sand)

• Limestone– Uses: concrete, road rock, building stone, pulverized to

neutralize acidic soil or water.

• Evaporites- halite, gypsum, potash– Uses: halite- rock salt for roads, refined into table salt– Gypsum- makes plaster wallboard– Potash- for fertilizer (potassium chloride, potassium

sulfates)

• Sulfur deposits– Uses: sulfuric acid in batteries & some medicinal products

Steps in Obtaining Mineral Commodities1. Prospecting- finding places where ores

occur2. Mine exploration & development- learn

whether ore can be extracted economically

3. Mining- extract ore from ground4. Beneficiation- separate ore minerals

from other mined rock5. Smelting & refining- extract pure mineral

from ore mineral (get the good stuff out of waste rock)

6. Transportation- carry mineral to market7. Marketing & sales- find buyers & sell the

mineral

Types of Mining

• Surface- scoop ore off surface of the earth or dig big holes and scoop– Cheap– Safe for miners– Large amount of

environmental destruction

• Subsurface- use shafts to reach deeply buried ores– Expensive– Hazardous for miners– Less environmental

damage

Types of Surface Mining1. Open Pit Mining

a. Overlaying material is removed using large equipment

b. Creates pits that are hundreds of meters wide and hundreds of meters deep.

Types of Surface Mining

2. Strip mining– Like open pit but not

as deep of a pit– Same environmental

damage

Large bucket wheel extractor being moved through Germany. Moves 10 meters per minute. Takes 5 people

to operate. Used in strip mining

Types of Surface Mining

• Dredging– Sand is removed

from bottom of ocean

– Can be done to restore beaches (after hurricane)

– Destroys fragile benthic ecosystems

Types of Subsurface mining• Underground Coal mining

– Shaft mine– Slope mine– Drift mine

Types of Subsurface mining• Room and Pillar mining

– Remove rock/ore from rooms and leave pillars for support.

Types of Subsurface mining• Longwall mining

– One long strip (wall) of coal is mined in a single strip (0.5 – 1.0 m at a time)

Health Problems• mine collapse• fire (methane, coal dust,

etc.). • asphyxiation (methane,

carbon monoxide)• pneumoconiosis (from

inhaling coal dust) • asbestosis (from inhaling

asbestos fibers) • silicosis (from inhaling

silicate dust) • heavy metal poisoning (e.g.

mercury) • radiation exposure (in

uranium mining)

Environmental Damage• Gaping holes in ground (old open pit mines)• Accidental draining of rivers and lakes • Disruption of ground water flow patterns • Piles of gangue- mine tailings (mining waste)• Loss of topsoil in strip-mined regions (350 to 2,700 km2 in US

alone)• Spoil banks are where holes were filled in with waste- cheap &

easy- susceptible to erosion, chemical weathering, causes high sediment runoff in watersheds. Steep slopes are slow to re-vegetate (succession happens slowly- no topsoil)

• Contamination of soil or water from heavy metals (e.g. arsenic, mercury) in mine tailings.

• Contamination from sulfuric acid (H2SO4) produced through weathering of iron sulfide (FeS2, pyrite) in tailings.

– 4FeS2 + 14H2O = 4Fe(OH)3 + 8H2SO4

• Water leaking into mine shafts, washes dissolved metals & toxic material into water sources.

– (550,000 abandoned mines in U.S.- 12,000 mi of rivers & streams contaminated with mine drainage- cost to clean up $32-$72 billion)

Acid Mine Drainage

Acid Mine Acid Mine DrainageDrainage

The impact of mine drainage on a lake after

receiving effluent from an abandoned

tailings impoundment

for over 50 years

Relatively fresh tailings in an Relatively fresh tailings in an impoundment. impoundment.

The same tailings impoundment The same tailings impoundment after 7 years of sulfide after 7 years of sulfide

oxidation. The white spots in oxidation. The white spots in Figures A and B are gulls. Figures A and B are gulls.

http://www.earth.uwaterloo.ca/services/whaton/s06_amd.html

Mine effluent discharging from the bottom of a waste rock pile (gangue)

Shoreline of a pond receiving AMD showing massive accumulation of iron hydroxides on the pond bottom

Surface Mining Control & Reclamation Act (SMCRA)

• 1977• Requires better restoration

of strip-mined lands• Restoration is difficult &

expensive• Takes long time for soil to

regain fertility– Topsoil gets buried– Compacted, poor drainage– Root growth restricted

• Minimum cost- $1000 per acre

• Complete restoration (if possible)- $5,000 per acre

History of Supplemental Energyin United States

Wood through mid-1800s-Renewable

-Maximum sustained yield limits supply

Wood through mid-1800s-Renewable

-Maximum sustained yield limits supply

Coal replaced wood by 1900Coal replaced wood by 1900Oil, natural gas exploited (since mid-1900s)

#1-oil, #2-natural gas, #3-coal- all non-renewable

Oil, natural gas exploited (since mid-1900s)

#1-oil, #2-natural gas, #3-coal- all non-renewable

Use growing dramaticallyUse growing dramatically

Year

210020251950187518000

20

40

60

80

100

Con

trib

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tot

al e

nerg

yco

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erce

nt)

Wood

Coal

Oil

Nuclear

HydrogenSolar

Natural gas

How long will supplies last?

U.S. (5% pop) uses 25% of energyU.S. (5% pop) uses 25% of energyDepends on:

- rate of use- discovery of new supplies

Depends on:- rate of use

- discovery of new suppliesResource supply lifetime

- oil - 30-60 years- natural gas - 50-200 years

- coal - 650-900 years

Resource supply lifetime- oil - 30-60 years

- natural gas - 50-200 years- coal - 650-900 years

North American Energy Resources

Oil Shale and Tar Sands

Oil shale3X conventional

Oil shale3X conventional

Kerogen25 gallons/ton

Energy in=energy out

Kerogen25 gallons/ton

Energy in=energy out Tar sands Tar sands

Bitumen3X return on energy inputs

Bitumen3X return on energy inputs

Natural Gas

50-90% methane 50-90% methane

Propane, butaneremoved, liquified

Propane, butaneremoved, liquified

Cleanest burning,lowest costs

Cleanest burning,lowest costs

Problems: leaks,explosions

Problems: leaks,explosions

Coal

Carbon (energy content) and sulfur

Coal

Bituminous most abundant (52%), buthigh in sulfur

Bituminous most abundant (52%), buthigh in sulfur

Anthracite most ideal (high energy, lowsulfur), but least abundant (2%)

Anthracite most ideal (high energy, lowsulfur), but least abundant (2%)

Lignite (8%) low energy, low pollutionpotential

Lignite (8%) low energy, low pollutionpotential

Coal

Surface versus subsurface mines Surface versus subsurface mines

North American Energy Resources

Burning Coal More Cleanly

Fluidized-Bed Combustion

Fluidized-Bed Combustion

-calcium-calciumsulfate (limestone)sulfate (limestone) used w/ Coal.used w/ Coal.

Coal Gasification - methane

Raw coal

Pulverizer

Air oroxygen

Steam

Pulverized coalSlag removal

Recycle unreactedcarbon (char)

Raw gasesClean

methane gas

Recoversulfur

Methane(natural gas)

2CCoal

+ O2 2CO

CO + 3H2 CH4 + H2O

Remove dust,tar, water, sulfur

Coal Liquefaction - liquid fuels

Both gasification and liquefaction lose30-40% of energy contained in coal

Both gasification and liquefaction lose30-40% of energy contained in coal

Nuclear Energy

Tremendous potential, plagued bysafety and cost problems

Tremendous potential, plagued bysafety and cost problems

3 ways to produce nuclear power1) conventional nuclear fission reactor2) breeder nuclear fission reactor3) nuclear fusion reactor

3 ways to produce nuclear power1) conventional nuclear fission reactor2) breeder nuclear fission reactor3) nuclear fusion reactor

Nuclear Energy

Use radioactive isotopesUse radioactive isotopesIsotopes - different forms of same

element- atoms have differing masses- e.g. U-238, U-235

Isotopes - different forms of sameelement- atoms have differing masses- e.g. U-238, U-235

Radioactive - unstable atoms emitradiation (rays and particles)

Radioactive - unstable atoms emitradiation (rays and particles)

Nuclear Energy

Conventional fission reactors

Conventional fission reactors

Uranium-235(U-238 common)

Uranium-235(U-238 common)

Nucleus split by moving

neutron

Nucleus split by moving

neutron

- Core, heat exchanger, generator

Reactors in the United States

Nuclear Energy

Breeder fission reactorsBreeder fission reactorsUses plutonium-239 as fuel

U-238 + neutron = Pu-239

Uses plutonium-239 as fuelU-238 + neutron = Pu-239

Pu-239 fissioned, but more producedfrom U-238- produces more Pu-239 than it uses

Pu-239 fissioned, but more producedfrom U-238- produces more Pu-239 than it uses

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear fusion reactorsNuclear fusion reactorsCombine atoms of hydrogen isotopes

- deuterium, tritium

Combine atoms of hydrogen isotopes- deuterium, tritium

Requires high temperature- 100 million °C- experimental- uncontrolled fusion = hydrogen bomb

Requires high temperature- 100 million °C- experimental- uncontrolled fusion = hydrogen bomb

Problems with Nuclear Power

Safety Safety Disposal of radioactive wastesDisposal of radioactive wastesUse of fuel for weaponsUse of fuel for weaponsReduced growth in demand for

electricity

Reduced growth in demand for electricity

High construction, operating costsHigh construction, operating costs

Funding Funding

Safety Concerns

Radiation concerns Radiation concerns Susceptible tissues: reproductive

organs, bone marrow, digestive tract, spleen, lymph glands, fetuses

Susceptible tissues: reproductive organs, bone marrow, digestive tract, spleen, lymph glands, fetuses

Rem - unit of radiation exposure- 10 rems: low level, few effects- 100 rems: sterility, no short-term deaths- 1000 rems: death in days

Rem - unit of radiation exposure- 10 rems: low level, few effects- 100 rems: sterility, no short-term deaths- 1000 rems: death in days

Big Fears

Core meltdown- Chernobyl ‘86

Core meltdown- Chernobyl ‘86

Containment shell ruptureContainment shell rupture

Both have potential for releasing huge amounts of radiation

Both have potential for releasing huge amounts of radiation

Disposal of Radioactive Wastes

Disposal of Radioactive Wastes

No long-term storage facility- protected for 10,000 years- radiation declines to low levels

No long-term storage facility- protected for 10,000 years- radiation declines to low levels

Most wastes stored on-siteMost wastes stored on-site

Site under development- Yucca Mountain in Nevada

Site under development- Yucca Mountain in Nevada

Yucca Mountain

Temporary Storage