natural gas
- it's a mixture of gases mostly methane
- propane and butane can be removed from it to make LPG or petroleum gas
- synthetic natural gas is made from coal by a process called coal gasification
- Russia has more the natural gas preserves
- the U.S. only holds 4% of the natural gas but uses most of the worlds gas
- it has less air pollutants
- releases CO2 and it is difficult to transport
coal
- the older the coal the higher the carbon content
- the higher the content the more energy when burned
- the higher the carbon content the less air pollution from sulfer
- first category is peat
- made of partially decayed plant material
- when dry it can be used for cooking and heating fuel
- lignite coal is only 25%-30% coal
- subbituminous has higher content of coal, it is 35-45% coal
- bituminous has a high carbon content and is 35-86% coal
- anthracite has a very high carbon content and is 86-97% carbon
shale oil and tar saNds
- shale oil is deposits of rock that contain kerogen
- it is extracted from the rock by crushing it and then heating it
- over 70% of the worlds shale oil is in the U.S
- it is easy to transport and has large domestic reserves
- it is a untapped resource
- the bad thing is that the CO2 is emitted
- tar sands is a mixture of water, sand, clay, and bitumen and is obtained by strip mining
- canada has over 75% of the worlds tar sand reserves
- it is easy to transport
- uses large amount of water, losses of habitats because it is so big, and CO2 is emitted
oil
- produced when heat and pressure acts on decayed material
- the crude oil is put into a distillation column and different components are separated
- using crude oil has a high net energy
- drilling for oil has little land disruption
- disadvantages are that when it is burned CO2 is released
- oil spills may occur, and the U.S depends on oil transport
- the net energy is decreasing
- oil reserves are supposed to be 80% depleted by 2050
- the real question isn't when will oil run out but when will it be useless as a fuel resource
charcoal
- created by burning wood to remove moisture
- mostly used for cooking and for heat
- coal is a fossil fuel and charcoal is produced by burning wood
- advantages are that it is inexpensive, has high energy content, it's easy to transport, and os widely available
- disadvantages are that it increase deforestation
- the production is hazardous to workers
- produces smoke that is unhealthy to breath