Fossil Fuels

Chapter 11.2

Fossil Fuels
1. Fossil

Fuels

a.Fuel formed from the remains of

living organisms, such as coal,

petroleum, and natural gas.
b.Fossil fuels consist primarily of
compounds called hydrocarbons.

Fossil Fuels

Hydrocarbons
i. Hydrocarbons are compounds made

up of atoms of carbon and hydrogen.

1.These compounds contain energy

originally obtained from sunlight by

plants and animals that lived millions
of years ago.
2.When hydrocarbons are burned, energy
is released as heat and light that we can
use.

Hydrocarbons

Coal Formation
2.

Formation of Coal
a. Coal is a dark colored, organic rock formed from

chemical and physical changes of plant material over

millions of years.
b. Carbonization is the process by which partially
decomposed trees and other plants are buried in swamp
mud and transformed into carbon.
i. The process of carbonization occurs when bacteria consume

the plant material and release methane and carbon dioxide

gas. When these gases escape the swamp, only the carbon is
left.

Types of Coal
3.

Types of Coal
a. Peat is the partial decomposition of

brownishblack plant remains. Peat is

the substance that all coal is formed
from.
b. The three main types of coal are lignite,
bituminous, and anthracite.

Peat

Lignite
i. Lignite is the first type of coal formed from the

peat. As layers of sediment cover the peat

depleting the oxygen so decomposition cant
continue, they cause pressure, which squeeze out
the water and gas, which then becomes a denser,
brown lignite.

Lignite

Bituminous Coal
1.Subbituminous coal, also called black

lignite, is generally dark brown to black coal,

and falls between lignite and bituminous coal.
ii. The added pressure of more deposited

sediments further compresses the lignite

to form bituminous coal, or soft coal.
1.Bituminous coal is the most abundant type of

coal.

Subbituminous &
Bituminous

Anthracite
iii. Where the folding of the earths crust produces

extremely high temperatures and pressure,

bituminous coal is changed into anthracite, the
hardest of all coal.
iv.Bituminous coal and anthracite consists of 80%

to 90% carbon, which makes them a great energy

resource.

Anthracite

Petroleum & Natural Gas

4.

Petroleum and Natural Gas

a. Petroleum and natural gas are

mixtures of hydrocarbons.
i. Petroleum oil consists of liquid

hydrocarbons.
ii. Natural gas consists of gaseous
hydrocarbons.

Formation of Petroleum & Gas

b. Formation of petroleum and Natural

Gas
i. When microorganisms died in shallow

prehistoric oceans and lakes, their remains

accumulated on the ocean floor and lake
bottoms which were then covered and
buried by sediment.

Formation of Petroleum &

Gas
ii. As the amount of sediments

increased, so did the heat and

pressure on the
microorganisms. This added
heat and pressure was enough
to cause a chemical change to
form petroleum and natural gas.

Deposits of Petroleum &

Gas
5. Petroleum

and Natural Gas

Deposits
a. Sedimentary rock has many

interconnected spaces between the

rock particles. This allows liquids
and gases to flow freely through
the rock.

Deposits of Petroleum &

Gas
b. As sedimentary rock becomes deeply
buried under overlying sediments,
pressure increases. This increasing
pressure causes the water and
hydrocarbons out of the rock and up
through the layers of permeable rock
until they come to a layer of
impermeable rock.
i. This impermeable layer of rock is called

cap rock.

Deposits of Petroleum &

Gas
c. The water, oil, and natural gas separate

under the cap rock due to their

densities. Natural gas is less dense, then
oil, then water.
d. Rock that liquids can easily flow
through is called permeable rock.
e. Rock that liquids cannot easily flow
through is called impermeable rock.

Deposits of Petroleum &

Gas
f.

Crude oil is unrefined oil and has many

uses. Petrochemicals are chemicals derived
from petroleum and are the main
component in over 3,000 products.
i. These products include plastics, synthetic fabrics,

medicines, tars, waxes, synthetic rubber,

insecticides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, and
shampoos.

Fossil Fuel Supplies

6.

Fossil Fuel Supplies

a. Fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource.
b. Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in the

word, occurring on every continent.

i. While coal is very abundant, scientists predict

that world wide coal reserves will only last

another 200 years.
ii. However, two-thirds of it are deposited in three
countries: the US, Russia, and China.

Fossil Fuel Supplies

c. Scientists estimate that 75% of all

the petroleum in the US has

already been discovered, however,
much of the undiscovered supply
is thought to be under the ocean
floor along the edges of North
America.

Fossil Fuels & the Environment

7.

Fossil Fuels and the Environment

a. The use of any fossil fuels has an impact on

the environment.
i. Strip mining
1. Strip mining coal leaves deep ditches where coal is
removed
2. Rocks and topsoil that are displaced to expose the coal
are left in steep slopes, and without plants and topsoil
to protect it, the exposed land will weather away.

Fossil Fuels & the Environment

3. Wet rocks that are exposed during

mining can give off acids.

a.These acids can be carried to nearby
rivers and streams causing harm to
aquatic life.
4.Since strip mining can be so damaging
to the environment, the US government
has place many regulations to decrease
and/or prevent the damaging of our
environment.

Air Pollution
ii. Air Pollution
1.The burning of any fossil fuel
causes pollution in the air. While
some fuels may be less damaging
such as natural gas, they do still
pollute the environment.
a.Much of this air pollution can
contribute to acid rain

Spills
iii. Spills
1. Fossil fuel spills happen rarely,

but have a huge and sudden

impact on the environment
when they do.
a.Examples include spills from
wells, tankers, and pipelines.