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Fossil Fuel Formation
• Non-renewable
• Process called CARBONIZATION
• Made of Hydrocarbons. Energy stored
in chemical bonds
• Most of what we use today was formed
from PARTIALLY DECOMPOSED ORGANIC
MATTER during the Carboniferous Period
• Pressure
• Heat
• Very long time
• Solid Hydrocarbon
• Most abundant/least energy/highest pollution
• 5 types/stages of coal
• Peat- soft- no stored energy
• Lignite- soft rock- no stored energy
• Bituminous-rock-contains sulfur- used for
energy-most abundant/cheapest
• Sub-bituminous-rock- contains sulfur- used
for energy
• Anthracite- “black gold”- most amount of
energy/least pollution (Pennsylvania)
• Releases Green House Gases (H2O,
SO2)= GLOBAL WARMING
• Acid Rain
• Releases Sulfur when Burned
• Acid Mine Drainage
• Highest amount of pollution
• Strip Mining-overburden,
reclamation, Impoundments
• Acidifies Ecosystems
Coal Impoundment=
Sludge
Deep Sea Drilling
Deep Sea Drilling/BP Oil Spill
• Land deposits are being used up, must
move on to ocean deposits
• Drill up to 5 miles below ocean surface
• Takes years of research, studying and
planning to drill oil
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BP Oil Spill= worst spill of all time
Located in the Gulf of Mexico
3 months to plug
210 million gallons of oil spilled
Blown valve on ocean floor-
BP OIL SPILL
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John Stweart- http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/6g4bjr/thespilling-fields---bp-ad-campaign
Parody- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AAa0gd7ClM
Oil Consumption/Production
Fracking (hydraulic Fracturing)
• 7000 feet below surface
• Fracture SHALE ROCK which contains natural
gas
• Marcellus Shale Formation- formed in
Appalachia region from organic and inorganic
sediment and movement of tectonic plates
• Oil and Natural gas collect beneath
• Fracking done beneath
• Drill down vertically then horizontally
• Pump veins with water, sand and chemical
• Uses pressure to remove gas and pump it out
Fracking Issues
• Methane gas leaks into atmosphere
• Methane gas leaks into water supplywell water contamination
• Chemical additives leaking into water
• Uses enormous amount of water (5
million gallons)
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Oil Sands/Tar Sands
• Deposits of oil combined with loose sand
• Sand surrounded by oil
• Bitumen-Heavy black viscous oil acquired
through strip mining or opening pits
• Oil must be separated from sand
• SAGD-uses steam to separate oil from sand
• Does not disturb environment
• Alberta, Canada has the 3rd largest deposit
• High amounts of GHG’s emitted
What does this look like?
Bitumen- mixture of sand, oil and water
ANWR
Artic National Wildlife Refuge
• Located in Alaska to preserve wildlife,
wilderness and recreational activities
• Contains many different ecological
regions, species and habitats
• Believed to contain 5.7 billion barrels of
oil