BESC 201: EXAM 3
105 Cards in this Set
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oil sands (tar sands)
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layers of sand or clay saturated with a viscous, tarry type of petroleum call bitumen
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fossil fuels
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highly combustible substances formed from the remains of organisms from past geologic ages
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electricity
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a secondary form of energy that is convenient to transfer over long distances and apply to a variety of uses.
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net energy
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expresses the difference between energy returned and energy invested: net energy= energy returned- energy invested.
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energy returned on investment (eroi)
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eroi=energy returned/energy invested, higher eroi ratios mean that we receive more energy from each unit of energy that we invest.
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aerobic decomposition
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a tree that falls and decays as a rotting log on the forest floor undergoes mostly aerobic decomposition, in the presence of air.
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anaerobic environment
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one that has little or no oxygen, includes bottom of lakes, swamps, and shallow seas.
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Coal:
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organic matter placed under high pressure.
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peat
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organic material that is broken down anaerobically but remains wet, near the surface, and not well compressed.
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oil, or crude oil
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contains a mixture of hundreds of different types of hydrocarbon molecules
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natural gas
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a gas consisting primarily of methane and including varying amounts of other volatile hydrocarbons
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petroleum
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commonly used to refer to oil and natural gas
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oil shale
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sedimentary rock filled with kerogen that can be processed to produce a liquid form of petroleum
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methane hydrate
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an ice-like substance consisting of individual methane molecules trapped inside the cages of water molecules.
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exploratory drilling
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holes that are small in circumference but descend to great depths
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strip mining
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heavy machinery scrapes away huge amounts of earth to expose the coal.
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subsurface mining
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digging vertical shafts and blasting out networks of horizontal tunnels to follow seams, or layers, of coal.
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Mountaintop Removal Mining
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Lop off entire mountaintops to mine coal on immense scales
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Proven recoverable reserve
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the amount of oil that is technically and economically feasible to remove under current conditions
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Refining
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hydrocarbons are separated into different size classes and chemically transformed to create specialized fuel
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reserves to production ratio
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the amount of total remaining reserves divided by the annual rate of production
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Peak oil
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Point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which time the rate of production enters terminal decline. there is still half of the total petroleum left, but it is more difficult to extract
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Hubbert's Peak
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The concept proposed by M. King Hubbert that peak oil production will follow a bell-shaped curve, when half of available oil would have been withdrawn.
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Primary extraction
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the initial extraction of available oil or gas
2/3 of it still left.
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hydraulic fracturing
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involves pumping chemically treated water under high pressure into deep layers of shale to crack them.
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clean coal technology
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collection of techniques that remove pollutants from coal
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carbon capture
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removes CO2
from power plant
emissions
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carbon storage
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sequester, or store carbon dioxide from industrial emissions
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acid drainage
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chemical runoff into waterways, occurs when sulfide minerals in newly exposed rock surfaces react with oxygen and rainwater to produce sulfuric acid.
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Directional Drilling
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allows oil wells to be drilled in directions outward from a drilling pad
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energy efficiency
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the ability to obtain a given result or amount of output while using less energy
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energy conservation
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the practice of reducing wasteful or unnecessary energy use.
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cogeneration
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excess heat produced during the generation of electricity is captured and used to heat nearby workplaces, and homes, and to produce other kinds of power
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nuclear energy
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energy that holds together protons and neutrons within the nucleus of an atom
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nuclear reactors
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facilities contained within nuclear power plants
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nuclear fission
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the reaction that drives the release of nuclear energy inside nuclear reactors, the splitting apart of atomic nuclei
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nuclear fusion
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the merging of atomic nuclei of lighter elements, releases tremendous energy
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Three Mile Island
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March 29th, 1979; reactor near Harrisburg, PA lost coolant water because of mechanical and human errors; partial meltdown; $1.2 billion in damages; radiation increase cancaer rates
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Meltdown
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Melting of uranium fuel rods, releasing radiation, as coolant water drained from the reactor vessel, and increased temperatures; preceded through 1/2 of one reactor core
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Chernobyl
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nuclear accident in nuclear powerplant in Ukraine April 26, 1986
worst nuclear power plant accident in history
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bioenergy
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energy obtained from biomass resources
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biomass
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consists of organic material derived from living or recently living organisms, and it contains chemical energy that originated with sunlight and photosynthesis
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Biopower
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Electricity that is generated by the combustion of biomass
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biofuels
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fuel derived from renewable biological material like plants
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ethanol
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produced as a biofuel by fermenting biomass, generally from carbohydrate- rich crops, in a process similar to brewing beer.
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biodiesel
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Diesel fuel produced by mixing vegetable oil, used cooking grease, or animal fat with small amounts of ethanol or methanol (wood alcohol) in the presence of a chemical catalyst.
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cellulosic ethanol
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ethanol produced from the cellulose in plant tissues by treating it with enzymes
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hydroelectric power
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electricity produced by flowing water
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storage technique
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impoundments harness energy by storing water in reservoirs behind dams
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Run-of-River Technique
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any of several methods used to generate hydroelectric power without changing the flow of river water
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Pumped Storage
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A method of creating electricity by moving water from one lake at the top of a hill to one at the bottom of a hill, turning turbines (and moving it back up again at night).
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Feed in Tariff
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utilities are mandated to buy power from anyone who can generate power from renewable energy sources
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Green-Collar Jobs Defined
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Well-paid, career track jobs that contribute directly to preserving/enhancing environmental quality--emphasis
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solar energy
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energy from the sun, to power human consumption for a quarter of a century
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Passive Solar Energy Collection
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Building design and construction maximize sunlight absorption in winter and cooling in the summer
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active solar energy collection
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use of devices such as solar panels that collect, focus, transport or store solar energy
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concentrated solar power
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generating electricity at a large scale by focusing sunlight from a large area onto a smaller area
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Photovoltaic cell
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A cell that converts solar energy into electric energy
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Thin-film Solar Cells
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photovoltaic cells made of material compressed into ultra-thin sheets
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net-metering
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value of power consumer provides is subtracted from the consumer's monthly utility bill
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wind power
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a resource that converts the kinetic energy of air into electricity
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wind turbines
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mechanical assemblies that convert winds kinetic energy, or energy of motion, into electrical energy
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Not in My Backyard
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Practice of objecting to something that would affect one or take place in one's locality, even though it would benefit many others.
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Geothermal energy
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energy produced by heat within Earth
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Enhanced Geothermal Systems
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a new approach whereby engineers drill deeplyinto rock, fracture it, pump in water, and then pump it out once it heatedbelow ground; with this system we can obtain geothermal energy in any location
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Ground Source Heat Pumps
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a pump that harnesses geothermal energy fromnear surface sources of earth and water in order to heat and cool buildings.Operates on the principle that temperatures below ground are more stable thantemperatures above ground
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wave energy
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energy harnessed from the motion of the ocean waves
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tidal energy
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dams cross the outlets of tidal basins, water is trapped behind gates, tidal currents turn turbines to generate electricity
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Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
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a potential energy source that involves harnessing the solar radiation absorbed by tropical oceans
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Electrolysis
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A process by which an electric current breaks chemical bonds
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waste
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any unwanted material or substance that results from a human activity or process
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Municipal Solid Waste
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non liquid waste that comes from homes, institutions and small businesses.
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Industrial Solid Waste
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produced by mines, agriculture, and industries that supply people with goods and services
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hazardous waste
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toxic waste that poses a hazard to humans or to the environment
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waste management
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strategic decision making to minimize the amount of waste generated and to dispose of waste safely and effectively
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source reduction
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the reduction of the amounts of material that enters the waste stream
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waste stream
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the steady flow of varied wastes, from domestic garbage and yard wastes to industrial, chemical, and construction refuse.
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recovery
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recovering, or removing, waste from the waste stream
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recycling
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collection and sorting of materials that would otherwise be considered waste, processing these into raw materials for manufacturing new products and subsequent use of those new products.
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Composting
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the conversion of organic waste into mulch or humus by encouraging natural decomposition
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sanitary landfills
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waste is buried in the ground or piled up in large mounds engineered to prevent waste from contaminating the environment and threatening public health
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resource conservation and recovery act
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congressional legislation that specifies, among other things, how to manage sanitary landfills to protect against environmental contamination
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leachate
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liquid that results when substances from the trash dissolve in water as rainwater percolates downward
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Incineration
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To burn waste
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Waste- to - Energy facilities
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use the heat from incinerating waste to create electicity .
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landfill gas
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a mixture of gases that consists of roughly 50% methane. can be collected and used for energy
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materials recovery facilities MRF's
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workers and machines sort iems, then clean, shred and prepare them for reprocessing
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industrial ecology
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seeks to redesign industrial systems to reduce resource inputs and to maximize both physical and economic efficiency
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Life Cycle Analysis
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An assessment of the environmental impacts of a product in each phase of its use, from raw material to disposal
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E-waste (electronic waste)
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discarded electronic equipment such as computers, cell phones, television sets, etc.
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surface impoundments
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shallow depressions, lined with plastic and an impervious material, such as clay
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deep well injection
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intended for long-term disposal, a well drilled deep beneath the water table into porous rock, and wastes are injected into it.
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superfund
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program administered by the epa in which experts identify sites polluted with hazardous chemicals, protect groundwater near these sites, and clean up the pollution.
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Brownfields
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Lands whose reuse or development is complicated by the presence of hazardous materials.
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rock
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solid aggregation of minerals
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mineral
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naturally occurring solid chemical element or inorganic compound with a crystal structure, a specific chemical composition, and distinct physical properties
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metal
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element that is shiny, malleable, ductile, and a good conductor of heat and electricity
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ore
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a mineral or grouping of minerals from which we extract metals
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smelting
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heating ore beyond its melting point and combining it with other metals or chemicals
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tailings
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portions of ore left over after metals have been extracted
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open pit mining
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digging a gigantic hole and removing the desired ore, along with waste rock that surrounds the ore.
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Placer Mining
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mining technique that involves sifting throughmaterial in modern or ancient riverbed deposits, generally using running waterto separate lightweight mid and gravel from heavier minerals of value
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General Mining Act of 1872
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a U.S. federal law that regulates mining for economic minerals on federal lands.
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Green economy
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- Renewable energy
- sustainable transportation
- green buildings
- energy-efficient industry & carbon capture
- land management
- afforestation
- waste management
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Triple Bottom Line
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Measures an organizations economic, social and environmental outcomes as a measure of long-term success
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BESC 201: EXAM 1