Chapter 19:

Fossil Fuels, Their Impacts, and Energy Conservation

Answers to End-of-Chapter Questions Testing Your Comprehension

1. Fossil fuels, especially oil products, predominate today because they are efficient to burn, ship, and store. Natural gas is cleaner burning, and coal is most plentiful. They are all considered nonrenewable because they are being extracted and consumed much faster than they are being formed naturally. 2. Net energy is the amount of energy produced minus the amount of energy input. EROI is the ratio of the amount of energy produced to the amount of energy input. These concepts are important indicators of the efficiency of an energy source. 3. Fossil fuels form slowly from the remains of the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter, under appropriate conditions of temperature and pressure. Natural gas can form by anaerobic bacterial action relatively near the surface. It can also form by heat and pressure deeper underground, which converts organic material into kerogen, the precursor of both natural gas and crude oil. Because the ideal conditions of organic material accumulation, anaerobic conditions, pressure, and temperature are not evenly distributed, neither are the resulting deposits of fossil fuels. 4. Coal is used to generate electricity by burning the coal, using the heat of combustion to boil water and generate steam pressure, and using the steam pressure to turn turbines and a generator. 5. Natural gas is often found with other fossil fuels, and then extracted as well. Like oil, the gas can move only if there is a pressure gradient, and so must eventually be pumped out of the ground. 6. Geologists use seismic surveying to estimate the underground geologic conditions at a site, and from those measurements can infer the volume of the underground reserve. At ANWRs 1002 Area, the total reserves are estimated to be between 11.6 and 31.5 billion barrels. The technically recoverable fraction of that total is between 4.3 and 11.8 billion barrels. The economically recoverable fraction varies with the price per barrel of the oil. At $30 per barrel it would be 3.0 to 10.4 billion barrels. 7. Petroleum products are created by the distillation and fractionation of crude oil, and the modification of those fractions. Petroleum products include kerosene, gasoline, and diesel fuels, lubricants, plastics, pharmaceuticals, and fertilizers. 8. Hubberts peak is the peak in U.S. oil production that occurred about 1970, which was accurately predicted by oil geologist M. King 1

Hubbert. Today, many experts believe we are close to passing the production peak for oil worldwide, because oil is a nonrenewable resource in limited supply, and based on the known reserves of oil, it is thought that we have exhausted nearly half of them. Our modern society is so dependent on oil that if it were to decrease in availability rapidly and soon, and if renewable sources were not ready to take its place, our economies would likely suffer recession or depression, and severe social breakdown could occur. 9. Fossil fuel emissions can include carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, which contribute to smog, acid deposition, global climate change, and various health problems. Some scientists are concerned about damage to vegetation and wildlife, based on the results of previous experience and small-scale manipulative studies. Other scientists contend that drilling at ANWR would have little environmental impact because of newer, environmentally sensitive technologies that would be used there. 10. Energy conservation may be approached by both personal choice and increased efficiency. For example, you can choose to walk or bike rather than drive, and you can use a car with high efficiency when you do drive.