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Non-renewable resources. Renewable resources. COAL NUCLEAR ENERGY . GEOTHERMAL BIOMASS. ENERGY. By: Sonal Gupta. Table of Contents. Energy Coal Nuclear Energy Geothermal Biomass Bibliography. Energy. Renewable energy
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Non-renewable resources Renewable resources COAL NUCLEAR ENERGY GEOTHERMAL BIOMASS ENERGY By: Sonal Gupta
Table of Contents • Energy • Coal • Nuclear Energy • Geothermal • Biomass • Bibliography
Energy • Renewable energy • Can be made again in a short period of time • Non Renewable energy • Can’t be made again in a short period of time
A combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock Composed of carbon and hydrocarbons Most abundant fossil fuel produced in the United States Nonrenewable energy source of energy It takes millions of years to create The energy in coal comes from the energy stored by plants COAL What is Coal ?
History of Coal How Coal was formed? Discovery of Coal: • Discovered in China around 10,000 years ago • Discovered in Virginia, USA in 1701 AD • First commercial coal mines started in 1730 in • Midlothian, Virginia, USA
Coal and its recovery • Coal is found beneath the earth surface • Recovered with the use of giant machines • Two methods of mining: • Surface Mining used for coal buried < 200 ft • Underground mining used for coal buried several hundred feet underground • Coal is then processed in a plant for cleaning
Methods of Mining Coal Surface mining Underground mining
The energy inside the coal is stored by plants • that lived hundred millions of years ago • For millions of years, a layer of dead plants at the bottom of the swamps was covered by layers of • water and dirt, trapping the energy of the dead • plants • This energy is released when coal is burned Energy in Coal
Advantages of Coal • The most abundant conventional fossil fuel in the world • Used to generate almost half of all electricity produced in the United States • Used for making steel • A variety of industries use coal's • heat and by-products. For example- • concrete and paper industry
Disadvantages of Coal • Burning coal emits harmful waste such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphuric acids, arsenic and ash • Factories burn coal to power industry that leads to acid rain in some regions • Burning dirty coal can create pollution problems • Coal mining can scar the landscape • The mining industry can cause health hazards for miners
Environmental Impacts • There are a number of adverse environmental • effects of coal mining and burning: • Largest contributor of CO2 in the air • Generation of tons of waste products ex- fly ash • Interference with groundwater levels • Coal-fired power plant releases emissions harmful to human health and the environment • Acid rains
Types of Coal • Lignite: burned at power plants to make electricity • Sub bituminous: at least 100 million years old • Bituminous: used to generate electricity and is an important fuel and raw material for the steel and iron industries • Anthracite: very rare in the United States, accounting for less than one-half of a percent of the coal mined in the U.S.A
Lignite Bituminous Anthracite Sub Bituminous Types of Coal
Nuclear Energy • What is Nuclear Energy? • Energy in the nucleus (core) of an atom • Can be used to make electricity • Energy can be released from atoms in two ways: • nuclear fusion • nuclear fission
History of Nuclear Energy • J. J. Thomson discovered the electron in 1897 • The process of splitting uranium atoms, called nuclear fission, was demonstrated by scientists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman • The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 was passed. Major amendment which gave the civilian nuclear energy program further access to nuclear technology • First power generated from a commercial nuclear plant at Santa Susana, California in 1957
History Continued…. • For the first time, nuclear energy generated more electricity than oil in the United States in 1980 • Nuclear replaced hydropower as the source of electricity in the United States in 1984 • Nuclear power provided about 16% of the world's electricity in 2002 • August 8th, 05, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which included measures to encourage the nuclear industry to build new nuclear power plants
The fuel most widely used by nuclear plants for nuclear fission is uranium • It is a common metal found in rocks all over the world • Most U.S. uranium is mined, in the Western United States Uranium Nuclear Energy and its recovery
Energy in Nuclear Energy • Can be used to make electricity • It can be released from atoms in two ways: • nuclear fusion-energy is released when atoms are combined or fused together to form a larger atom • nuclear fission-atoms are split apart to form smaller atoms, releasing energy
Nuclear Fission of Uranium • During nuclear fission, a small particle called a neutron hits the uranium atom and splits it • That releases a great amount of energy as heat • Neutrons are also released, these neutrons go on to barrage other uranium atoms • The process repeats itself over and over again • This is called a chain reaction
Advantages of Nuclear Energy • Emission of relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide • No greenhouse or acid rain effects • Easy to transport as new fuel • It is possible to generate a high amount of electric energy in one single plant
Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy • Nuclear reactors only last for about forty to fifty years • There is no method to get rid of the radioactivity of the waste or speed up the rate of decay • One of the most feared disadvantages of nuclear energy is the potential use for weapons
Environmental Impacts • Nuclear power plants produce a small amount of air pollution • Solid radioactive wastes generated at nuclear plants are quite small, but pose health risks • When nuclear power plants remove water from a river for steam formation and cooling, aquatic life can be affected • Construction of power plants can pollute land with toxic by-products
Interesting Facts Nuclear binding energy is converted Nuclear binding energy is derived from the strong nuclear force and is the energy required to disassemble a nucleus into free unbound neutrons and protons, strictly so that the relative distances of the particles from each other are infinite
Geothermal • What is Geothermal? • Heat from within the earth • Steam and hot water produced inside the earth is used to generate electricity • Renewable energy resource because the water is made again by rainfall and the heat is continuously produced inside the earth
History of Geothermal • Geothermal Timeline • The first dry steam geothermal power plant was built in Laderello Tuscany, Italy in 1904 • The first binary plant in the United States began operation in Southern California in 1980 • The world’s first magma exploratory well was drilled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1991 • Idaho’s first commercial geothermal power plant began operating in 2008
Geothermal and its recovery • Geothermal reservoirs are deep underground • Can sometimes find its way to the surface in the form of: • volcanoes • hotsprings • geysers • Most of the geothermal activity in the world occurs in an area called the Ring of Fire. This area rims the Pacific Ocean
Energy in Geothermal • Temperatures hotter than the sun's surface are continuously produced inside the earth • Hot temperatures are produced by the slow decay of radioactive particles • This energy is released when steam and hot water comes out of the earth’s crust
Advantages of Geothermal • Does not create any pollution because it is the earth’s energy that is used • Alternative source of energy, which means that by using it we get less dependent on coal and oil • It will never run out • The power stations do not take up much room, so there is not much impact on the environment
Disadvantages of Geothermal • Hazardous gases and minerals may come up from underground, and are difficult to safely dispose of • Can cause earthquakes in the area • Not easily transported so it can only be used to generate electricity for surrounding areas • Can only be used to generate small amounts of electricity when compared to other fuel sources
Environmental impacts • Depends on how it is being used • After the steam and water from a geothermal reservoir have been used, they are injected back into the earth crust • Geothermal featured in national parks are protected by law to prevent the land from being disturbed • They release less than one percent of carbon dioxide
Facts on Geothermal • When hot water and steam reach the surface, they can form fumaroles, hot springs, mud pots and other interesting phenomena.
Biomass • What is biomass? • Natural material made from plants and animals • contains stored energy from the sun • renewable energy source because we always grow more trees and crops, and waste will always exist • Some examples of biomass fuels: • wood, crops, manure and garbage
History of Biomass • Wood was the primary fuel for heating and cooking in homes and businesses in 1860 • Burlington Electric (Vermont) built a 50-megawatt wood-fired plant in 1984 • The biomass power industry in California began to grow in 1985 • In 1990 electricity generating capacity from biomass reached 6 gigawatts
Biomass and its recovery • Made from things that were once alive • In the biomass recovery process, the following may be distinguished: • Bio-fuels that may be used as a substitute for fossil fuels, or to produce heat and electricity • Bioproducts such as biopolymers, fibers, building material and products resulting from “plant chemistry”
Energy in Biomass • Biomass contains stored energy from the sun • When burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat • Wood waste or garbage can be burned to produce steam for making electricity • Biomass can be converted to other usable forms of energy like methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel
Energy in Biomass • Plants absorb the sun's energy in a process called photosynthesis • Wood waste or garbage can be burned to produce steam for making electricity
Advantages of Biomass • Can be used to make a variety of fuels to generate electricity and heat • Used for the production of chemicals and other products • Second largest renewable energy source used • More environmentally friendly in many ways than most fossil fuels • Burning biomass generates fewer emissions than the combustion of fossil fuels
Disadvantages of Biomass • Produces carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases when burnt • Collecting or growing the fuel in sufficient quantities can be difficult • Some waste materials are not available all year round • A less concentrate form of energy, making it less resourceful
Environmental Impacts • Biomass can pollute the air when it is burned, though not as much as fossil fuels • Biomass sources such as wood contain less nitrogen than coal, reducing fuel-caused nitrogen oxide emissions • When it’s burned, it releases carbon dioxide but when crops are grown, a nearly equal amount of carbon dioxide is captured through photosynthesis
conserve energy
Picture www.eia.doe.gov images.google.com www.ourenergy.com www.buzzle.com www.virtualsciencefair.org Information www.eia.doe.gov projects.edte.utwente.nl en.wikepedia.org www.teahcoal.org Bibliography