human impact on ecosystems. kingston fossil plant ash spill (2008)
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Human impact on ecosystems
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Kingston fossil plant Ash spill (2008)
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Carbon cycle
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Pros Cons
Non-renewable finite resource
Environmental pollution
Dependence on foreign supply
Global climate change
Fossil-fuel based infrastructure
Cheap fuel = social stability
Pre-industrial revolution anyone?
The instability of a fossil fuel economy
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Novel innovations for alternative energy
Wind energy Solar energyCellulosic ethanol
Electric carsHydrogen fuel cells
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Group activity:Rank the following alternative energy technologies
from most promising (best) to least promising (worst)
• Biodiesel• Hydrogen fuel cells• Electric cars (Lithium ion batteries)• Cellulosic ethanol• Wind • Geothermal• Solar
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One problem with electric cars
Lithium is also a finite resource that is mined from salt flats
Nissan LeafChevy Volt Lithium ion battery
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Lithium salt mining in Bolivia
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>50% (estimated) of the world’s lithium lies in Salar de Uyuni
Evo Morales: President of Bolivia
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Ethanol as a renewable fuel?
MTBE
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Government support for more E85 pumps (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline)
• Government announced Friday 10,000 more E85 pumps in the next 5 years
• "Flex-fuel pumps will give Americans a choice to purchase domestically produced renewable transportation fuels.“- US Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack (Friday, April 8, 2011)
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Overview of Brazil sugarcane ethanol• ~8 million hectares• Supplies 40% of
Brazil transportation fuel
• Brazil wants to expand to 40 million hectares
• Currently only the sugar part of cane is used (14% of mass)
• Brazil will likely become an ethanol powerhouse
1 hectare = 2.47 acres
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Plants are mostly made up of sugars
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Why Cellulosic Ethanol?
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Why Switchgrass?• Native grass to US• Perennial crop• Requires little to
no fertilizer• Can be grown on
marginal land• Use hay bail
machinery• Farmer income• No erosion• Large fleet of E85
vehicles on road• Pilot biorefinery
in Vonore, TNhttp://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=112598
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Miscanthus giganteus stand growing for 10 years never fertilized or irrigated
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Ethanol: The bad news
• Food vs. fuel vs. feed agricultural land• Absorbs water – 2006- present many complaints
about engine damage with E10 (found to exceed)• EtOH requires 42X more water than gasoline• Energy density is 2/3 that of gasoline• Logistics of moving large amounts of biomass• Calculations of cost-benefit are VERY complicated– However, technology is so IMMATURE that these
numbers are meaningless
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Algae as a renewable source of ethanol and biodiesel
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Algae for ethanol and biodiesel: infrastructure costs too great
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Survival of the human species depends on our ability to capture energy in a way that is sustainable
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We should start planting fields of switchgrass everywhere so we can fuel our cars on renewable fuel
• Without talking to your neighbor, do you agree or disagree?
• Write all of your reasons for your position (one per sticky note) No talking!
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It is BETTER for the U.S. government to invest more money into DEFENSE than into ENERGY
• Without talking to your neighbor, do you agree or disagree?
• Write all of your reasons for your position (one per sticky note) No talking!