APES IN A BOX: Natural Gas

Natural gas: mixture of gases o Mostly methane Found above conventional crude oil deposits Can be pressurized and collected to create liquefied natural gas Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG): created from coal from coal gasification Russia have over 25% of world natural gas reserves United States have less than 4% of the worlds reserves, but uses almost 25% of worlds natural gas production Benefits o Less air pollutants are emitted when burnt o High net energy compared to other fossil fuels Disadvantage o Difficult and costly to transport

APES IN A BOX: Coal

Coal is classified by its carbon, moisture, and sulfur content Older coal = More carbon = more energy when burnt = less pollution from sulfur Peat o Precursor to coal o Formed in wetland bogs Lignite o Low carbon content o High moisture content Subbituminous o Higher carbon content than lignite o Lower moisture o Slightly higher quality as a fuel source Bituminous o High carbon content o Low moisture content o Common in the U.S. Anthracite o High carbon content o Very low moisture o Least polluting o Most valuable

APES IN A BOX: Shale Oil and Tar Sands

Shale oil: deposits of rock that contain kerogen o Kerogen: a solid misture of hydrocarbons Advantages: o Easy to transport as a solid or shale oil Disadvantage: o Very high disturbance of land similar to coal mining o CO2, NOX, an SOX is emitted when burned Tar sands: viscous mixture of sand, clay, water, and Bitumen o From strip mining o Mixed with water and heated to separate bitumen o Bitumen: can be converted into synthetic crude oil Advantages: o Easy to transport o Very large potential reserves Disadvantage: o Lots of water is needed to extract bitumen o Land disruption

APES IN A BOX: Oil

Oil: a fossil fuel produced when heat and pressure act on decayed organic matter over millions of years o Mostly hydrocarbons, and small amounts of sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen Crude oil have to be processed before being used Advantages: o High net energy o Domestically available o Little land disruption in mining process Disadvantage: o CO2, NOX, an SOX is emitted when burned o Potential for oil spills Peak oil: cost of oil rises OPEC: organization of petroleum exporting countries o Controls 60% of crude oil reserves

APES IN A BOX: Charcoal

A biomass fuel that is created by partially burning wood to remove moisture and increase the energy content per unit of mass when compared to the wood alone Advantages

o Inexpensive o Higher energy content o Easy to transport o Less smoke than wood or dung Disadvantages o Deforestation o Hazardous to workers who produces them