3 metallic minerals
-aluminum
-iron for steel
-copper
3 nonmetallic minerals
-sand
-gravel
-limestone
life cycle of a metal from mining to recycling
mining>metal ores>separation of ore from waste material>smelting>melting metal>conversion to product>discarding of product
recycling: smelting>melting metal>conversion to product*
*repeat to beginning
compare/contrast surface and subsurface mining
surface mining is when you mine near the surface of the earth, where as subsurface mining is when you mine tunnels to go down deep in the earth
list the environmental damage caused by mining
-scarring and disruption of land surface
-mountain-top removal
-water and air pollution
-groundwater disruption
-biodiversity decreased
-large amount of solid waste
-subsidence
list the nations that supply most of the nonrenewable mineral resources
US, russia, south africa, canada
what % of the KEY nonrenewable mineral resources does the US import?
100%
why do governments subsidize the cost of mining?
-economic growth
-jobs
-reduce financial risk
-lower cost for consumer
what is biomining and why is it used?
a kind of mining in which microorganisms are used to extract minerals from low-grade ores
list the concerns of mining the ocean floor
-high costs
-squabbles over who owns what
-how profits would be distributed
-environmental impact
first and second law of thermodynamics
1st: it takes high-quality energy to get high-quality energy (pumping oil from ground,refining it,transporting it)
2nd: some high-quality energy is wasted at every step
why does oil have a high net energy?
b/c it comes from large,accesible, cheap-to-extract deposits
in the US, most of our energy comes from?
oil
what is OPEC and who are the members?
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
members: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Empire, Venezuela
what % of the US oil consumption is imported?
60%
compare/contrast the adv/disadv. of using conventional crude oil
advantages
-supply for several decades
-high net energy yield
-lowland disruption
-efficient distribution system
disadvantages
-water pollution from spills
-environmental costs
-releases CO2 (pollution)
-vulnerable to international supply interruptions
what is the % of CO2 emissions produced for transportaion worldwide?
43%
what are the adv/disavd. of using oil shale and tar sand?
advantages
-large potential supplies
-easy transportation
-efficent distruption system
disadvantages
-low net energy yield
-release CO2 (pollution)
-severe land distruption
-high water use
where in the world are most (72%) of the oil shale reserves found?
United States
know the by-products of oil distillation
-plastic
-pesticides
-medicines
-paints
what is the most common way to heat homes in the US?
electricity ( from coal)
which common product is a by-product of oil and can't be replaced by natural gas?
Plastics
which country has the largest proven reserves of natural gas?
russia
where is methane hydrate gas escaping from?
tundra permafrost
which country has the largest proven reserve of coal?
United States
which country uses the most coal and has the most polluted cities?
China
what are the environmental problems with burning coal?
-dirty
-radioactive
-black particles
-toxic ash
what are the reasons for the decline of nucelar power in the US?
-accidents
-poor management
-radioactive waste
-high cost
know the nuclear fuel cycle
mining of uranium, proccesing and enriching the uranium to make fuel, using it in a reactor, and safely storing the resulting highly radioactive waste (in the form of depleted or spent fuel rods)
open-pit mining
machines dig very large holes and remove metal ores
subsurface mining
deep deposits of minerals are removed through tunnels and shafts. miners dig a deep vertical shift, blast open subsurface tunnels and chambers to reach desposit
strip mining
useful and economical for extracting mineral desposits that lie in large horizontal beds close to the earths surface
mountain-top removal
explosives, earth movers, large power shovels, and other machines with huge buckets, called draglines, are used to remove the top of a moutain and expose seams of coal