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Title
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The Modern Portfolio: Fossil Fuels
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Type
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Primary: Mission Briefing Article
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Operation
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Infinite Potential
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Mission:
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Mission 3: Power to the People
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Print Page
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64,65
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Subjects
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Earth and space science | Energy | Energy sources | Science and technology | Energy technology | Science
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Grades
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5 | 6 | 7 | 8
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Keywords
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fossil fuels, plant, animal, decompose, decomposing, sediment, hydrocarbon, coal, oil, natural gas, sedimentary, rock, crude oil, refine, refinery, petroleum, gasoline, kerosene, propane, diesel, fuel, resource, drill, mine, infrastructure, non-renewable, peak oil, pollution, carbon dioxide, waste product, pollute, global warming, melt, ice caps, drought, heat wave, Larry Shadle, National Energy Technology Laboratory, NETL, carbon emission, chemical solvent, atmosphere, flue
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Duration
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00:15:00 (HH:MM:SS)
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Audience
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Teachers | Elementary Grades | Junior High
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Created On
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4/13/2009
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Copyright
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Barrels photo: Trevor Macinnis/Wikimedia Commons; Team Highlight photo: Peter Haydock, The JASON Project; Coal photo: James P. Blair, NGS; Monotower photo: Shell; Earth photo: NASA Earth Observatory
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From: Infinite Potential Mission 3: Power to the People (pp: 64,65) |
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The Modern Portfolio: Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are the most common energy source available today. However, like other energy sources, there are both advantages and limitations. Learn more about fossil fuels, as well as how Larry Shadle is improving the technology surrounding their use. |
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 Fossil fuels are by far the most common energy source used in the world today. They are called fossil fuels because they come from the remains of once living plants and animals. These plants and animals died long ago, and instead of decomposing fully, they were trapped under layers of sediment. Over time, the heat and the pressure from the top layers of sediment caused the plants and animals to break down into simple forms of hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons are organic compounds that consist only of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Types of Hydrocarbons
Fossil fuels may be divided into three general categories— coal, oil, and natural gas. Coal is a black or brownish-black rock formed from the remains of plant life. Oil is a yellow to black liquid formed from the remains of animals and plants that lived in a marine environment. Crude oil is the name of the substance that is removed from the ground. Crude oil can be sent to a refinery and made into other petroleum products, such as gasoline, kerosene, propane, and diesel fuel. A wide variety of other products are also made from petroleum—everything from tires and plastic products to ink and deodorant.  | Natural gas is a colorless and odorless gas formed from the remains of animals and plants. Natural gas is a popular fuel choice because it burns cleaner and more uniformly than other fossil fuels. Shell uses enhanced oil recovery technology (EOR), to help get more oil out of the ground. Depending on the type or ‘heaviness’ of the oil, one of three EOR techniques are used: reducing the oil’s viscosity by heating it with steam; injecting pressurized gas into the wells to ‘push’ the oil out; or, injecting chemicals that work like washing detergents to loosen the oil and help it flow. These techniques are helping recover oil that would otherwise be left behind in the ground. Advantages and Limitations
One of the most significant benefits of fossil fuels today are the associated costs. Coal, oil, and natural gas have been an abundant resource for years, and are relatively inexpensive to drill or mine. Additionally, over the years, society has invested in an infrastructure that is designed to utilize fossil fuels. This includes cars, planes, factories, and homes. Changing this entire infrastructure to use another energy source would require another big investment. | | A limitation to fossil fuels is that they are nonrenewable and are becoming more scarce. Pollution also poses a significant challenge. When these hydrocarbons are burned, they produce carbon dioxide and other waste products. Adding large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere can have severe consequences. For instance, carbon dioxide can contribute to global warming, an increase in the overall temperature of Earth. Solutions
Larry Shadle and his colleagues at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia are working hard to minimize the effects of carbon emissions from burning coal. Scientists like Larry have figured out a way to use a chemical sorbent to remove carbon dioxide so that it is not released into the atmosphere. This is not easy, as coal in a power plant is burning 24 hours a day. The sorbent must be mixed in with the coal in just the right amount and at just the right time. Larry is proposing methods to mix the coal emissions with the sorbent in just the right amount, which would capture most of the carbon dioxide before it is released into the atmosphere. This technology is critically important, as it can allow us to use abundant coal resources for our energy needs now, while other forms of energy, such as solar, wind, or biofuels, are being further developed.  |  |
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