UNIT 1: Resources and Energy Sources

Natural vs. Produced

• What are natural resources?• Examples:

– wood, minerals, water, animals, plants, oil, coal etc.

• What are produced resources?• Examples

– gas, alloys, composites, plastics, etc.

Earth’s Resources• Resources come from the Earth, either in raw form or

as material used to make new products.

• Earth’s resources include organisms, air, water, and soil, as well as materials such as oil, gas, and ores that are removed from the ground for processing.

Two Main Classifications of Resources

Renewable resources Nonrenewable resources

Renewable ResourcesDefinition: any material or energy source that cycles,

or can be replaced easily within a short time period.

Common renewable resources• Food and Fiber• Soil• Wind• The Sun• Water• Biomass Fuels• Geothermal Energy

Nonrenewable Resources

• Definition: material or energy source that cannot be replaced easily or requires extremely long amounts of time to replace itself.

• Common nonrenewable resources Ores Rocks as Resources Fossil Fuels

• Coal• Petroleum and Natural Gas• Oil

Fossil Fuels

• Definition: fuels such as wood, charcoal, peat, coal, oil, and natural gas that release energy when burned

• Considered nonrenewable because they take millions of years to form.

• Major fossil fuels in developed countries include: Coal Oil Natural gas

Coal• Formed when wetland

plants die, are buried, and undergo physical and chemical changes over millions of years.

• Considered nonrenewable because they take millions of years to form

Petroleum and Natural Gas• Formed from the remains of plants, bacteria, algae, and

other microscopic marine organisms.• Formed when more organic matter is produced than is

destroyed, which is common in coastal waters.• Chemical and physical changes result in the formation of

organic matter in the form of liquids and gases.

Global Energy Use and Production

• World’s total energy consumption rates have been increasing in many countries, both developed and developing. Example: China uses coal as the main resource to heat

their homes. Thus, as populations increase, and consumption rates increase, coal supplies must also increase in order to meet this demand.

Why are nonrenewable energy sources not a good choice for our global energy needs?

Alternative Energy Resources• Alternative energy sources are being pursued in many

developed countries as a way to counteract the developed world's dependence on nonrenewable resources that are being exhausted faster than they can be replaced.

• Common alternative energy resources• Solar Energy• Wind• Hydropower• Geothermal Energy• Nuclear Power• Trash• Hydrogen