Natural Gas

Mixture of gases Mostly Methane (CH4) Found above conventional crude oil deposits Propane and butane can be removed and pressurized to make Liquefied Petroleum Gas or LPG Natural Gas can be pressurized and cooled to create Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to be transported When oil deposits are too remote for a pipeline to collect natural gas, then the gas is simply burned off on site as a waste product of oil production SNG (Synthetic Natural Gas) is created from coal by a process called gasification Creating synthetic fuels has a low net energy as it requires the use of approximately 50% more coal than simply burning the coal Russia possesses over 25% of the worlds reserves The middle east contains a large amount The United States has less than 4% of the worlds reserves, but uses almost of the worlds natural gas production Advantages to natural gas Large reserves remain Less air pollutants are emitted than when burning other fossil fuels High net energy compared to other fossil fuels Disadvantages to natural gas Low net energy when converted to LNG Releases carbon dioxide when burned Difficult and costly to transport Pipeline infrastructure is underdeveloped in the U.S.

Coal
4 categories of coal that vary in carbon, moisture, and sulfur content The older the coal, the higher the carbon content The higher the carbon content, the more energy when burned The higher the carbon content, the less air pollution from sulfur impurities Peat (Not quite Coal) Peat is a precursor to coal Composed of partially decayed plant material Formed in wetland bogs Surface mined by cutting into oblong peat bricks When dried peat can be burned for cooking and heating fuel

Used by some Scotch whiskey distilleries Used on industrial scale in Ireland and Finland Lignite (Brown Coal) Low carbon content High moisture content 25-30% carbon Lowest quality Crumble texture Gulf Coast and Northern Plains Subbituminous Higher carbon content than lignite Lower moisture than lignite 35-45% carbon Slightly harder than lignite Slightly higher quality as a fuel source Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Washington, and Alaska are where you can find this type of coal Bituminous (Soft Coal) Most in the U.S. High carbon content Low moisture content 35-86% carbon Harder and shinier Most common throughout the U.S. Anthracite (Hard Coal) High carbon content Very low moisture 86-97% carbon Least polluting Most valuable Highest quality Very hard Can be found in Pennsylvania in the U.S.

Shale Oil and Tar Sands

What is Shale Oil Deposits of rock that contain kerogen Kerogen is a solid mixture of hydrocarbons

Shale oil is extracted from the rock by crushing the rock and heated to separate the Shale Oil from the rock Shale Oil Reserves Over 70% of the worlds shale oil is in the United States Advantages to Shale Oil Large domestic reserves Existing oil infrastructure can be used Easy to transport as a solid or as a shale oil Disadvantages to Shale Oil Low net energy because of energy and water required to separate oil from rock Very high disturbance of land similar to coal mining CO2, NOx, and Sox emitted when shale oil is burned What are Tar sands A vicious mixture of sand, clay, water, and bitumen Tar sands is obtained by strip mining Tar sand is mixed with water and heated to separate bitumen Bitumen can be then converted into a synthetic crude oil Reserves Canada has over % of the worlds tar sand reserves U.S., Russia, Venezuela, Columbia, and Nigeria possess smaller reserves Advantages of tar sands Very large potential reserves Current oil infrastructure can be utilized Tar sand and its synthetic oil to transport Disadvantages of tar sands Very low net energy due to energy required to extract bitumen Large volumes of water are used in the process of extracting tar sands High land disruption and therefore habitat loss from surface mining of tar sand CO2, NO2, and SO2 are emitted when oil is burned

Oil
What is Oil A fossil fuel produced when heat and pressure act on decayed organic matter over millions of years Oil consists predominantly of hydrocarbons with small amounts of sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen Specific geologic conditions are required for oil to be formed and accumulated When oil is taken out of the ground it becomes crude oil

 Crude oil goes through a process called the distillation column which is powered by a furnace, the distillation would break down the crude oil taken out Grease/Wax, Diesel, Jet Fuel, Gasoline, and Gases as the columns reaches different boiling points this whole process is called Fractional Distillation Advantages to Oil High net energy Although supply is declining, there is still an ample supply for the immediate future Oil infrastructure already in place Domestically available Little land disruption in mining process Disadvantages to Oil Release of CO2, Sox, and NOx when burned U.S. is dependent on oil imports Potential for oil spills Net energy is decreasing as more energy must be invested in oil production Oil Reserves Oil reserves are predicted to be 80% depleted sometime between 2050 and 2100 OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Controls 60% of crude oil reserves Saudi Arabia alone controls 20%

Charcoal
What is charcoal A biomass fuel that is created by partially burning wood to remove moisture and increase the energy content per unit of mass when compared to the wood alone Widely used for cooking and heating in developing countries throughout the world Advantages of using Charcoal Relatively inexpensive Higher energy content/unit of mass than wood or dung Easy to transport Widely available Less smoke than wood or dung Renewable if managed appropriately Disadvantages of using Charcoal Deforestation Charcoal production is hazardous to workers

Using charcoal produces smoke that is unhealthy to breathe