Natural Gas:
- Mixture of gases (Methane)
- Found in crude oil deposits
- Pressurized to make LNG
- Gas is burned off as waste product in oil industry
- Synthetic Natural gas created from coal by coal gasification
- Russia reseves are 20% of world
- Middle east contains large amount
- Advantages: large reserves remain, less air pollutant, high energy net
- Disadvantages; low net energy when LNG, release of CO2, difficult to transport Coal:
- 4 categories of coal that vary in carbon, moisture and sulfur content
- Older coal has higher carbon
- Higher carbon means more energy when burned
- Higher carbon means less air pollution from sulfur impurities
- Peat- precursor to coal and made of decayed plant material. It is formed in wetland bogs and is mined by cutting into oblong peat bricks. When it is dry, it can be burned for cooking and heating.
- 1st category: Lignite- low carbon, high moisture, 25-30% carbon, lowest quality, crumbly texture, located in Gulf Coast and Northern Plains
- 2nd category: Subbituminous- Higher carbon, lower moisture, harder than lignite, 35-45% carbon, high quality
- 3rd category: Bituminous- most common, high carbon content, low moisture, 35-86% carbon, harder and shinier
- 4th: anthracite- high carbon, very low moisture, 86-97% carbon, least polluting, most valuable, highest quality, very hard and shiny
- Deposits of rock containing kerogen
- Kerogen=solid mix of hydrocarbons
- shale oil is extracted from crushing rock separating the oil
- 70% of this is in U.S
- Large domestic reserve
- Easy to transport
- Low net energy
- high disturbance in land
- CO2, NOx, and SOx is emmited when burned
- Fossil fuel produced when heat and pressure act on decayed organic matter
- Hydrocarbons with sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen
- Geologic conditions required for oil to be formed and accumulated
- Fractional distillation
- Advantages: high net energy, oil infrastructure, domestically available
- Disadvantages: dependent on oil imports, potential for oil spills, net energy
- Oil reserves depleted 80% between 2050 to 2100
- Peak oil
- Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC)
- Controls 60% crude oil reserves
- Saudi Arabia controls 20%
- Charcoal- biomass fuel created by burning wood to remove moisture and increase energy content per unit of mass.
- Widely used for cooking and heating in developing countries throughout the world
- Advantages- Inexpensive, high energy content, easy to transport, widely available, less smoke than wood or dung, renewable
- Disadvantages- Deforestation, charcoal production is hazardous to workers, using charcoal produces smoke that is unhealthy