1. Chapter 17 Fossil Fuels and the Environment Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

2. Fossil Fuels Forms of stored solar energy created from incomplete biological decomposition of dead organic matter • Crude Oil • Natural Gas • Coal Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

3. Crude Oil and Natural Gas • Crude Oil • Naturally occurring petroleum, normally pumped from wells in oil fields. • Refinement of crude oil produces most of the petroleum products we use today • Natural Gas • Naturally occurring gaseous hydrocarbon generally produced in association with crude oil or from gas wells • An important efficient and clean burning fuel commonly used in homes and industry Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

4. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

5. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

6. Oil in the 21st Century • The U.S has an energy problem caused by dependence of fossil fuels, especially oil • Maximum global production is expected between 2020 and 2050 • The challenge is to plan for the decline in oil supply and shift to alternative energy sources Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

7. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

8. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

9. Methane Hydrates • White ice-like compound made up of molecules of methane gas trapped in “cages” of frozen water in the sediments of the deep seafloor Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

10. Environmental Effects of Oil and Natural Gas • Recovery: damage to fragile ecosystems, water and air pollution, and waste disposal • Refining: soil, water and air pollution • Delivery and Use: energy to power automobiles, produce electricity, etc. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

11. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

12. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

13. Coal • Solid, brittle, carbonaceous rock that is one of the world’s most abundant fossil fuels. • Classified according to energy content as well as carbon and sulfur content Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

14. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

15. Coal Mining and the Environment • Strip Mining • A surface mining process in which the overlying layer of soil and rock is stripped off to reach the coal • Underground Mining • Associated with environmental problems including acid mine drainage, land subsidence and coal fires Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

16. Transport of Coal • The Future of Coal • Scrubbing: removes sulfur dioxides • Allowance Trading • Reduces pollution • EPA grants utility companies tradable allowances for polluting Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

17. Oil Shale and Tar Sands • Oil Shale • A fine-grained sedimentary rock • The oil is a synfuel • Tar Sands • Sedimentary rocks or sands impregnated with tar oil, asphalt or bitumen Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e