Burning of Fossil FuelsENSC 287 Understanding our Environment

Presented by Lin Jian

What are fossil fuels?Fossil fuels are sources of energy that come from

the remains of plants and animals.It takes millions of years for them to form.

According to the EPA, 86 percent of the world's energy consumption comes from fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels are so named because they formed from the remains of living things. The term usually refers to coal, natural gas and oil. People use these fuels as an energy source for heating their homes, for cooking and for creating electricity.

What are the different type of fossil fuels?

• Coal• Petroleum• Natural gas

• All three are carbon-based fuels.

How is coal formed? • For millions of years, a large of dead plants at

the bottom of the swamps was covered by layers of water and dirt, trapping the energy of the dead plants. The heat and pressure from the top layers helped the plant remains turn into what we today call coal.

Different stages of coal formation• Peat• Lignite• Bituminous• Anthracite

Fossil fuels present two major problems.(1) They are nonrenewable sources of

energy. They will eventually be used up.

(2) The burning of fossil fuels has detrimental effects on human health and the environment. These factors have inspired research into alternative forms of energy.

Gasoline

Natural Gas

Coal

WaterSolar Energy

Fuel Used in the Daily Life

Major Uses of Fossil FuelsElectricityHeatingTransportationIndustrial, Commercial and Residential

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, fossil fuels are used to generate more than 85 percent of the energy used by the country.

The Advantages of Fossil FuelsFossil Fuel Jobs (Career Research and

Trends) Engineers

ScientistsPhysicists

CheapPowerfulTransportableEstablishedMobile

What Are the Disadvantages of Fossil Fuel Energy?

OilAccording to fossil-fuel.uk, when gasoline is burned, it

releases carbon dioxide, which is one of the most potent greenhouse gases.

According to discoveringfossils.uk, greenhouses gases are so called because they trap heat in the earth's atmosphere. These trapped gases are the supposed cause of the rising temperatures.

Fossil-fuel.uk states that burning gasoline is also thought to be one of the causes of pollution, such as acid rain. Countries that posses large reserves of oil also tend to be politically unstable. This can result in the loss of life and freedom.

What Are the Disadvantages of Fossil Fuel Energy?

CoalThe burning of coal is also thought to have detrimental

effects. Coal resides deep in the earth and requires extensive mining to be extracted. This mining is dangerous to the people involved and devastating to the environment in which the coal lies.

Fossil-fuel.uk states that coal also produces two times more carbon dioxide than natural gas when burned at the same temperature. When coal is burnt, harmful chemicals such as sulphuric acid and arsenic are released into the atmosphere. Both chemicals have been linked to acid rain and health problems.

What Are the Disadvantages of Fossil Fuel Energy?Natural GasNatural gas is often found in the same deposits as coal. According

to fossil-fuels.uk, natural gas consists primarily of methane, an extremely dangerous chemical. Before natural gas can be burned for energy, most of the methane must be removed.

Discoveringfossils.uk states that not all of the methane is removed from natural gas, and this is why it can not be inhaled by humans.

According to discoveringfossils.uk, the process which removes most of the methane produces very harmful chemicals such as ethane.

Natural gas is extremely flammable, and can lead to explosions and fires. It is also odorless and tasteless, which makes it very hard to detect a deadly leak.

The Top Ten Reasons Why We Should Limit Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuel is a term used to describe all carbon-based power sources like oil, gas and coal. These products were created over millions of years of prehistoric decomposition and, later, drilled and mined out of the earth to use as a fuel. Oil especially is used in a variety of situations, from the production of plastics to powering cars and aeroplanes. With environmental concerns reaching higher on the agenda, more reasons emerge for why fossil fuels should be limited.

1 Climate ChangeThe burning if fossil fuels is the primary source

of extra greenhouse gases. These gases help to trap heat from the sun, keeping the earth warm. The problems arise when extra greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere, trapping more heat.

The main reason environmentalists want to reduce fossil fuel use is to curb the effects of climate change. Carbon fuels release carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, which traps the sun's energy. This heats the planet, causing many problems including accelerated melting of the polar ice caps.

2 Foreign OilThe vast majority of fossil fuels used in the

U.S. come from overseas. Canada is a large supplier, but even more comes from the Middle East. This region is politically unstable, which can lead to variations in prices. Alternative energy, like solar and wind, are domestically produced, so result in less money sent abroad.

3 EcosystemAlong with damaging the planet through

global warming, carbon-based fuels also damage ecosystems. The extraction of fossil fuels involves destroying forested areas and polluting local environments. This does irreversible damage to animal habitats and to indigenous populations.

Ocean AcidificationOne of the major greenhouse gases, carbon

dioxide, is partially absorbed by the oceans. The problem is that this lowers the pH of the water. In other words, it makes it more acidic. This causes problems for organisms with carbonate shells, including corals, shellfish and many species of plankton. The change in water chemistry would also impact other organisms, which, as any reef tank owner knows, are often extremely sensitive. The results might be unseen but are potentially extremely dangerous, with the entire ecosystem of the oceans changing radically.

4 RenewableCarbon-based fuels will run out at some point. It

takes millions of years for the Earth to reproduce these fuel sources, and currently the world is far too dependent on them. Renewable energies, like wind and solar, will never run out. Nuclear power, which is central to many countries' alternative energy strategies, is also non-renewable and requires the mining of uranium and plutonium, which are also finite resources.

5 CostThe cost of extracting carbon fuels increases, as

the only supplies of them are in much more difficult-to-reach areas, such as in deep oceans. Although green energies are not currently economically viable, over time the cost will fall and, as money will not be sent aboard to buy oil, will eventually pay for themselves.

6 Air QualityCarbon dioxide not only damages the planet through

global warming, but also has a detrimental effect on the general public's health. Carbon fumes lead to increased cases of reparatory illnesses, such as asthma. This was a key reason for the introduction of catalytic converters in car exhaust systems.

Air PollutionMuch more visible to humans than ocean

acidification is the problem of air pollution. The burning of fossil fuels releases pollutants, including carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, particulates, ozone and nitrogen oxides. Air pollution, or smog, causes health problems in cities including pneumonia, bronchitis and the exacerbation of existing heart and lung problems. The very young and the elderly are especially vulnerable. Air pollution is also the cause of acid rain, which can kill vegetation and pollutes water bodies sufficiently to kill off fish stocks.

7 Acid RainThe burning of coal produces sulphur dioxide,

along with carbon dioxide. This gas is responsible for acid rain, which is very damaging to the environment in terms of water quality and animal life.

8 Water ConservationBoth mining fossil fuels and using them to

generate electricity uses a lot of water. Water conservation is a central theme of the environmental argument, as it is so vital to all forms of life.

9 Safety / Health Oil drilling, as the Deepwater Horizon explosion

of 2010 demonstrated, is never going to be completely safe. Renewable fuels are not combustible, so are a lot safer to produce.

10 Alternative EnergyA range of alternative energies are available to

replace carbon fuels. Solar, wind, biofuel, hydrogen, tidal and nuclear power can all be used and without many of the above problems.

Commonly known alternative energy sourcesHydroelectric EnergySolar EnergyWind EnergyBiomass EnergyGeothermal EnergyTidal Power

Alternative energy sources are available free of cost and do not tax the environment for their usage

We Should Conserve Fossil Fuels