energy fossil fuels update

7/31/2019 Energy Fossil Fuels Update

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COAL Terrestrial origin (mostly plant remains from mild, moist climate of

250 million years ago)

Occurs in different grades, depending on C content and S content

High grade coal is high in C, low in S

S occurs as disseminated iron sulfides, when coal is burned is releasedas SO2, leads to acid rain

Coal is the primary world energy source for electricity

Advantages: Easily transportable, convenient to store, cheap tomine (traditionally), relatively large reserves left (90% of remainingfossil fuel reserves in U.S.)

Disadvantages:

Coal mining is a significant source of acid mine drainage, landdisturbance from strip/pit mining & is dangerous

Coal burning is a major source of pollutant ash, aerosols, heavy metals,

soot, CO2, CO -- more CO2 per energetic yield than CH4 or petroleum


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Grades of Coal

Carbon Energy Content Sulfur ContentLow Med High

Lignite 5% 12k - 15k BTU/kg 91% 9% -Sub-Bituminous 30% 15k - 21k BTU/kg 99% 1% -Bituminous 60% 21k - 32k BTU/kg 30% 27% 43%Anthracite 90% 30k - 32k BTU/kg 97% 3% -

Lignite

Bituminous Coal

Anthracite


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Coal Consumption

5

10

15

20

25

30

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

USAChina

Former USSRW.EuropeC.-S. AmericaAfrica

CoalConsumption(Quads)


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OECD Countries:

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Un

itedStates

Russia

China

OtherNon-OECDEuro

pe/Eurasia

Australia/NewZealand

India

Africa

OE

CDEurope

OtherCentral&Sou

thAmerica

OtherNon-OECDAsia

Brazil

Canada

Other

Global Coal Reserves (EIA)

Bituminous & AnthraciteSubbituminousLignite

C

oal(billionsofsho

rttons)


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0

2 104

4 104

6 104

8 104

1 105

1.2 105

Montana

Illinois

Wyoming

WestVirginia

Kentucky

Pennsylvania

Ohio

Colorado

Texas

NewMexico

Indiana

NorthDakota

Michigan

DemonstratedReserveBase

(MillionS

hortTons)

EIA Data


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U.S. Coal Reserve Regions (2007 EIA Data)

Anthracite: 1.5% (nearly all in NE Pennsylvania)

Lignite: 9% (Montana, Texas, North Dakota)

Subbituminous: 37% (mostly Montana, Wyoming; allwest of Mississippi River)

Bituminous: >53% (mostly Illinois, Kentucky, W.Virginia; nearly all east of Mississippi River)


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Clean Coal

Lansing, NY Tampa, FL

Efficiency standard coal-burning electrical generation: ~33% clean-coal technology electrical generation: ~37% US-DOE 2025 efficiency target: 60%

Costs clean-coal plants: construction costs: 200% standard electricity cost: 20% > natural gas, 170% > older coal plants


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Environmental Impacts of Coal

Mining: 60% of US coal derives from strip minesex: West Virginia

300,000 acres of hardwood forest destroyed1000 miles of streams polluted/acidified


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Environmental Impacts of Coal

Solid Wastes: a typical 500 MWatt coal-fired plant produces:

125,000 tons of ash yearly 193,000 tons of sludge (from scrubbers) 75% of waste goes to unlined landfills/pits ash contains As, Hg, Cr, Pb

Atmospheric Wastes:

3,700,000 tons of CO2 10,000 tons of SO2 10,200 tons of NOx 500 tons airborne particulates

720 tons of CO 220 tons of VOCs 77 kg Hg 100 kg As

50 kg Pb


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Natural Gas (Methane, CH4)

Forms in association with petroleum

25% of U.S. Energy Budget (mostly used for heating, cooking;developing use in autos, power plants)

Advantages: relatively clean, requires little processing, lowest CO2

emission per energetic yield than any other fossil fuel, contributesmuch less to smog compared to petroleum burning

Disadvantages: more difficult/expensive to transport than coal orpetroleum; a potent greenhouse gas with a long lifetime -- one

methane molecule contributes 20x more to greenhouse effect thanone molecule of CO2 (potential for leaks is problematic)


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Media & Fracking:

NPR On Point:

http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/06/10/fracking

For much more information:

http://www.propublica.org/series/buried-secrets-gas-drillings-environmental-threat
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/06/10/frackinghttp://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/06/10/fracking


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http://www.otsego2000.org/


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Fossil Fuel Sustainability

Pumped & consumed at phenomenal rate: estimate = 1 million years is

required to form fossil fuels consumed by world every 12 months!

How long can oil last?

Known Reserves: quantity of resource known by exploration to exist, which canbe recovered profitably under existing, economic conditions

Current Known Reserves: ~1 trillion barrels of crude oil

Current Consumption Rate: ~22 billion bbls/yr (1990) ~45 years left (but ratesof consumption are rising, more important may be divergence of supply/demand)

How long can natural gas last?

Known Reserves: ~4200 trillion cubic feet

Current Known Reserves: ~75 trillion cubic feet/yr (~50-60 yrs left)

How long can coal last?

Known Reserves: ~1.1-1.8 trillion short tons

Current Consumption Rate: ~5.2 billion tons/year (~220 yrs left at current rates)

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