Fossil Fuels

From wiki.NGSciEd.org

Lauren R.

Lindsey A.

Sarah P.

Danielle S.

Contents 1 All About Fossil Fuels 2 Fossil Fuels and Energy 3 Pros and Cons of Fossil Fuels 4 Current Event 5 Key Terms 6 Relevant Lesson Plans 7 References Cited

All About Fossil Fuels

• Fossil fuels are energy rich substances that have formed from long-buried plants and microorganisms. (1)

• Fossil fuels are formed by the building up of organisms that have died. As time goes by they are buried under layers and layers of sediments. As the layers of sediment build up the pressure and heat of the organisms increases. After millions of years of increasing pressure and temperature these organisms become hydrocarbons. Most organic debris is destroyed at the earth's surface by oxidation or by consumption by microorganisms. Organic material that survives to become buried under sediments or deposited in other oxygen-poor environments begins a series of chemical and biological transformations that may ultimately result in petroleum, natural gas, or coal. (1)

• The formation of a fossil fuel depends on how deep it is in the ground. The deeper it is, the hotter it is. When it is very hot, fossil fuels form as a natural gas. When it is cooler, they form as oil. (4)

• Both oil and natural gas are formed by plants and bacteria that live on the ocean floor. When they die, the organisms combine with the sand to create an organic-rich mud. Sediment builds up over the mud and heats its up. (7)

• Fossil fuels take hundreds of millions of years to form.

Coal

Fossil Fuels and Energy

• Fossil fuels are considered non-renewable sources of energy because when they are burnt, they are finished. When the last barrel of oil has been pumped out of the ground there is no more. It is non-renewable. (3)

• When fossil fuels are burnt energy is released through heat (6).

• With the burning of fossil fuels we provide energy by producing electricity, heating homes, power cars, and cooking (6).

• When fossil fuels combust they pollute the air. Some of the air pollutants fossil fuels produce are nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and heavy metals. These pollutants fall to the Earth as acid rain (5). Fossil fuels is thought to be the leading cause of global warming and the greenhouse effect. Economically fossil fuels can cause major price increases (6).

• About 86% of energy in the United States are generated through fossil fuels.

• Approximately 86% of the world's energy is gereated through fossil fuels.

Pros and Cons of Fossil Fuels

Pros

• dense energy: a small amount of fossil fuels can power much more work than other energy sources
• provides electricity
  • coal
• supplies fuel to automobiles
  • oil
• can be used as energy for heat and air
  • natural gas
• cheap and abundant

Cons

• creates an abundance of greenhouse gases
• is non-renewable energy
• contributes to global warming
• increases acid rain

Current Event

Adding up Renewable Energy

Increasing energy consumption and a growing world population implies shrinking reserves of fossil fuels. While the use of fossil fuels brings with it the problem of carbon dioxide emissions and climate change. Our continued dependence on fossil fuels coupled with the pressing global issue of climate change has pushed the concept of renewable energy sources to the top of the agenda.In looking for alternative energy supplies, there is more to simply adding up the outputs, according to Christopher Koroneos and Yanni Koroneos of the Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental Engineering, at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. They argue that a whole life cycle assessment of any environmentally friendly energy supply must be carried out to ensure its green credentials are valid. Writing in Inderscience's International Journal of Global Energy Issues, the researchers point out that land use and materials employed are just two aspects of renewable energy development that can have an adverse impact on the otherwise positive environmental picture. (2)

There are three viable renewable energy resources, say the researchers - solar energy, wind power and geothermal energy. They have applied the techniques of life cycle assessment (LCA) to each in order to determine the total environmental impact and to compare this with the effects of equivalent energy release from fossil fuels. The LCA approach allows an assessment to be made of the flow of material and energy used in the construction, operation and ultimate decommissioning of a renewable energy supply. It also takes into account the manufacturing of components, the possible extraction and supply of fuels as well as waste generated in these processes. (2)

The researchers demonstrate that some renewable energy systems based on wind power and geothermal energy do have valid green credentials in electricity production. The efficiency of these systems is comparable over the complete life cycle than the equivalent fossil fuel system. However, the conversion of solar energy to electricity using photovoltaic solar cells is less efficient in terms of materials production, running, and recycling than non-renewable energy. However, economies of scale come into play with solar power and a large enough area of solar cells would outstrip the fossil fuel system. The team also points out that the life cycle pollution of solar systems is much, much lower than any conventional system although thermodynamic efficiency is lower. "A significant advantage of the use of renewable energy systems," say the researchers, "is that they are environmentally friendly because overall they result in lower dangerous pollutant emissions, this and one other major factor, they are essentially inexhaustible." (2)

A Crude Joke on a "Crude" World

It’s ironic to think that we do not know what made the dinosaurs go extinct, yet fossil fuels are surely, slowly sealing our own fate. Oil is the single most significant commodity. It dictates the economy, global politics, and essentially the world stage at large. At every turn, we have increased our reliance on fossil fuels, not only in the form of gasoline, but other petroleum products as well. It is a vicious downward spiral, we have trapped ourselves in. Although the adamant denial that the War has anything to do with oil is more than questionable, it is undeniable that it has had an adverse effect on the oil market, and consequently the general economic structure. While jobs are being constantly displaced due to an inability to keep up with a fluctuating market, the costly war on terror is an impossibly unwinnable one. In inciting a “War on Terror,” a rash decision made in the heat of a falsified sense of patriotic rhetoric, the Bush administration failed to recognize the nature of war. For wars are fought against nations, victory is dictated by which side is able to exhaust the others’ resources, thus inciting civil unrest and discontentment. In this war, however, we are only exhausting our own resources, whilst fighting against a guerilla militia which has proven itself unconcerned with hurting its own native populace. Therefore, the only way to win is to extinguish all terrorist entities from existence; an impossible task short of complete nuclear destruction. Not only are the concurrent soaring oil prices bringing down the economy, but we are also hit by the depletions of a stagnant war on terror. There have been various attempts at acquiring fossil fuel alternatives, often squashed by big oil tycoons. The biggest proponent of pushing alternatives forward is the environmental industry and their questionably fictitious concept of “global warming.” The argument against global warming is that it is a natural cycle, with the human impact in advancing it is minimal. Case in point, a large amount of methane pollution, is produced in the form of cattle flatulence. Granted, humans have domesticated and bred cattle, but delicious as beef may be, left to natural predators and hormonal instincts, would the cattle population be significantly decreased minus the element of human consumption? That being said, while the concept of global warming environmentalism is a positive catalyst for much needed change, the mythological proportions of it, stand in the way of it being taken seriously. If we do not want to bury ourselves up to our necks in our oil sands, we need to take charge and decide that we are not safe relying so heavily on a single resource and create alternatives to save ourselves, rather than chasing chimeras in the form of projecting our needs on global environmentalism. Of course, assuming we succeed in limiting our oil dependence, our reliance on water consumption and limited, concentrated existence of fresh water would seem to dictate an unwelcome future vision. While in the past, we have over-consumed our resources to the point of depletion, oil has all but consumed us. (8)

Key Terms

Fossil Fuels: energy-rich substances that have formed from long-buried plants and microorganisms

Nonrenewable resource: a natural resource that cannot be produced, re-grown, regenerated, or reused on a scale which can sustain its consumption rate

Global Warming: the gradual increase in the overall temperature of the Earth's atmosphere due to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.

Relevant Lesson Plans

• http://www.fe.doe.gov/education/energylessons/index.html
• http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/coal.html#coalformation
• http://www.kidzworld.com/article/1423-fossil-fuel-energy
• http://www.iptv.org/exploremore/energy/profiles/fossil_fuels.cfm
• http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter08.html

References Cited

1. (1993-2008). Encarta. Retrieved February 15, 2009, from Microsoft Corporation: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761586407_1/fossil_fuels.html
2. (2007) BrightSurf. Retrieved February 15, 2009, from: http://www.brightsurf.com/news/headlines/32183
3. (2009). WikiAnswers. Retrieved February 13, 2009, from Answers Corporation: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_are_fossil_fuels_considered_nonrenewable_sources_of_energy
4. (n.d.). Background. Retrieved February 15, 2009, from NaturalGas.org: http://www.naturalgas.org/overview/background.asp
5. (2009). Fossil Fuels. Retrieved February 16, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_fuel
6. (2009). Fossil Fuels. Retrieved February 16, 2009, from Discovering Fossils: http://www.discoveringfossils.co.uk/fossilfuels.htm
7. Fossil Fuel. (2008). In MSN Encarta [Web]. Retrieved 02/18/2009, from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761586407_2/Fossil_Fuels.html
8. (2008). Mindblog. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from http://www.mindyourmind.ca/personal-stories/blog/?p=235#more-235.