In Environmental Science, we just finished up our unit on non-renewable energy sources. We focused on nuclear energy, coal energy, crude oil and lastly, hydraulic fracturing or fracking.
Firstly, with nuclear energy, we looked at the pros and cons. The obvious disadvantage of nuclear power is that a malfunction could cause massive damage to the environment and the people in the area. We looked at famous nuclear power plant disasters to explore this. Other drawbacks include the physical land footprint of the facilities, the cost of installation, the increased risk of a nuclear war, the cost of mining uranium and air pollutants that are released. Arguments for nuclear energy are also compelling. Nuclear energy produces fewer pollutants and is able to better contain its pollutants than other types of non-renewable energy sources. Those in favor of nuclear power also argue that the use of uranium aides in the disarmament of nuclear weapons, actually has a small land footprint and that new innovations will fix many safety concerns. Nuclear energy produces less atmospheric pollutants than the other sources of nonrenewable energy. Nuclear energy is produced by the decay of uranium-235. In a power plant, fuel cells of uranium are submerged in water to control the decay of the element. The breakdown of uranium causes the water to heat up and as the water boils, the vapor moves a turbine. This turbine moves to a generator which creates electricity. After nuclear energy, we focused on energy produced by coal. Coal is largely bad for the environment due to the air pollution, water pollution and land damage that is caused by both mining and burning coal. The steps to use coal for energy are locating the coal, obtaining the coal, concentrating, and cleaning up after. Each step to harnessing coal for power brings its own challenges to the environment. Coal is beneficial to consumers because of its low cost and abundance in America. We also learned about new coal technologies, aimed at reducing adverse impacts of mining on the environment. Here is mine on coal gasification:
The next energy source we learned about was crude oil. The use of crude oil is problematic to the environment due to the rapidly decreasing supply, release of CO2 into the atmosphere, damage mining can have on the surrounding environment, oil spills and leaks and the diplomatic problems that US dependency on foreign oil can cause. However, oil is readily available, affordable and produces a lot of energy in a small amount. Also, oil releases less CO2 than the burning of coal. To use oil for energy, an oil rig well is dug and pumped out of the ground. This disrupts the environment. Oil is then refined to separate the different types of gas in the crude form. These various forms of power can then be burned to create energy as the bonds in the oil break apart.
Our final form of nonrenewable energy that was focused on was fracking. Fracking, formally known as hydraulic fracturing, is the way that natural gas is extracted from the Earth's shale. Fracking fluid, comprised of water and various other chemicals, is forced underground. After drilling down, water is then forced horizontally and fractures are created that releases gas. This gas can then be used for energy. This practice is particularly damaging to the water supplies of communities. The fracking fluid used can seep into the water supply and greatly pollute the water. Fracking is also linked to seismic activity, air pollution and a waste of water. The benefits of fracking include the apparent abundance of natural gas, lower CO2 emissions and low cost. To further explore fracking we created group padlets, outlining various impacts of fracking on the environment. Here is my group's that focused on fracking in Otero Mesa:
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