Scientists at both Stanford and the University of Bath in the United Kingdom are trying something completely new by using carbon dioxide and sugar to make renewable plastic. Oils can be processed from plants, animal fats, minerals, and man-made substances.
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However, over time, there has been a shift in demand for cheaper and cleaner fuel options, such as the nonrenewable energy source of natural gas, and renewable options like solar power and wind energy. Each energy resource has its advantages and disadvantages.
Explore nonrenewable and renewable options with this collection on energy resources. Nonrenewable energy resources include coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy. Once these resources are used up, they cannot be replaced, which is a major problem for humanity as we are currently dependent on them to supply most of our energy needs.
Fossil energy sources, including oil , coal and natural gas , are non-renewable resources that formed when prehistoric plants and animals died and were gradually buried by layers of rock. Over millions of years, different types of fossil fuels formed -- depending on what combination of organic matter was present, how long it was buried and what temperature and pressure conditions existed as time passed.
Today, fossil fuel industries drill or mine for these energy sources, burn them to produce electricity, or refine them for use as fuel for heating or transportation. Over the past 20 years, nearly three-fourths of human-caused emissions came from the burning of fossil fuels. Natural Gas. The Energy Department works to ensure domestic and global oil supplies are environmentally sustainable and maintains emergency petroleum stockpiles.
Learn More. Carbon Storage Research. As the fuel burns the heat energy is used to heat water, as it is heated it produces steam which in turn rises and drives a turbine. The energy conversion goes from chemical energy stored in the fuels, to heat energy as it burns which is converted to kinetic energy as it drives large turbines and finally this is converted to electrical energy. The problem with burning fossil fuels is their effect on the environment.
As mentioned fossil fuels are Hydrocarbons. When hydrocarbons are burned in the presence of oxygen they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a Greenhouse Gas and is a leading cause of Global Warming. Fossil fuels are also used in the petrochemicals industry, here the fossil fuels are used to make plastics, paints and even medication.
Ireland has a history of coal mining in areas of Leinster including Kilkenny, Carlow and Laois. The Arigna coal mine in Co. Roscommon opened in the late 18th century and ran up as far as the 's. Today Ireland imports most of its coal from areas such as Poland. The use of coal for production of electricity is decreasing as shale gas becomes more available. Natural gas is widely used in Ireland with supplies coming from both Irish sources and imports.
There are a number of gas fields in operation off the coast of Ireland including Kinsale Head, Ballycotton and the Seven Heads fields all located off the coast of County Cork.
In recent years a new gas field located at Corrib off the west coast has been exploited. Oil is one of the world's most valuable commodities. In Ireland oil is no longer used for the production of electricity but is heavily relied on for transport and home heating.
Ireland has no domestic oil production and depends entirely on imports. In Ireland Peat has two main uses, generating electricity and home heating.
Ireland has many raised bogs across the midlands. To prevent the destruction of Ireland's peatlands and their ecosystems many raised bogs and blanket bogs have been given legal protection and restrictions to peat harvesting have been put in place. First the energy source must be found, geologists are constantly studying areas and their rocks to determine if deposits or wells are likely to occur.
Once a source is located it then needs to be removed from the Earth. Extraction processes can vary from mining for coal, mechanical harvesting of peat and drilling for oil and gas.
Processing can take the form of crushing, grinding and milling. Coal is broken into smaller usable lumps for use in domestic settings and peat is often milled and compressed into briquettes for use in the home.
The oil that is pumped from the earth is extracted in the form of crude oil. This oil must be sent to a refinery where the different mixtures of fuels are separated by a processes called fractional distillation. The oil is separated into its different components such as petrol, diesel, kerosene, and residue.
These components can be processed further to make plastics. Energy: Fracking or hydraulic fracturing.
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