Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels are composed of partially
decayed remnants of organisms.
They are nonrenewable resources.
•We have a finite (limited) amount that is
being depleted
•Produce pollutants such as CO2, CO, SO2,
NO3
A. How Fossil Fuels Were Formed

• Fossil fuels were formed in vast swamps that were

filled with plant species that had long been extinct.
• They decayed little after death since they were
covered with water.
• Over time, more and more dead plants built up and
as a result, layers of sediments accumulated,
forming layers that covered the plant material into a
carbon-rich rock called coal.
Coal

• This substance was formed when partially decomposed plants were

exposed to large amounts of heat and pressure for eons (long periods
of time).

• Coal produces more CO2 emissions per unit of heat than other fossil
fuels.
Coal

• Formed when partially decomposed plants were exposed to large

amounts of heat and pressure for long periods of time.
• Produces more CO2 emissions than any other fossil fuel.
Types of Coal

• Lignite-soft coal that is low in sulfur and produces

less heat in comparison to other grades of coal
• Sub-bituminous-intermediate grade coal between
lignite and bituminous. Low hear value and sulfur
content.
• Bituminous- “soft coal” that is high in sulfur and
produces lots of heat
• Anthracite- “hard coal” that is low in sulfur and
produces the most heat and less pollution
Coal Reserves

• Coal is present in greater quantities than oil or natural gas.

• Present coal reserves could last 200 years at our present rate of
consumption however the harm to the environment would be more
substantial.
Mining of Coal

• Subsurface mining – underground coal mining that

is dangerous and unhealthy. Can cause black lung
disease.
• Surface mining-disturbs large land areas and is
expensive to restore the land. Advantages include it
being healthier , a better extraction of coal, and less
expensive. On the other hand, it disrupts the land
more than subsurface mining.
Cleaner ways to mine coal

• Resource recovery makes scrubbers more desirable

Oil & Natural Gas

• Occur in structural traps such as anticlines, the upward folding of rock

layers, and salt domes, underground columns of salt.
• Will probably be gone by the end of the 21st century
• Mostly located in the Middle East
• Oil was formed when large numbers of microscopic aquatic
organisms died and settled in the sediments.
• Their decomposition depleted the small amount of O2 that
was present in the sediments.
• The resultant oxygen-deficient environment prevented
further decomposition and the dead remains were covered
and buried deeper into the sediments.
• The heat and pressure aided in the conversion of these
remains to hydrocarbons, known as oil.
Energy Consumption in Highly Developed and Developing Countries
 Environmental problems related to Oil &
Natural Gas

• 1989 Exxon Valdez was the largest spill in U.S. history

• 1991 Persian Gulf War “spill” (20x larger than the Exxon
Valdez spill)
• CO2 from Oil and natural gas combustion releases copious
amounts of CO2.
• Nitrogen Oxides and sulfur oxides are also released from the
combustion of Oil and Natural Gas. (acid rain)
Review

• 1) The world’s largest oil spill was the Persian Gulf

• 2) Oily rocks that can be crushed and heated to
produce oil is oil shale.
• The most common type of coal is bituminous coal.
• Most of the oil reserves is in the Middle East
• The most abundant fossil fuel is coal
• Anthracite coal burns the hottest and produces the
least pollution.
 Review

• Increasing the average global temp. due to increasing

amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere is global warming.
• Petrochemicals can be used to produce a variety of
everyday products.
• Technology used to remove sulfur oxides from smoke stack
emissions are scrubbers.
• Oil produces few sulfur oxides, but lots of nitrogen oxides
• Nitrogen oxide emissions are produced mainly by
automobiles
• Acid precipitation is linked to the worldwide forest decline.