LOC#2 Flashcards
(17 cards)
What are key global hydrocarbon resources, and why are they mainly used as sources of energy?
Coal, oil, natural gas, biomass, because their reactions with air are highly exothermic and product lots of heat.
Explain how coal is formed, and the different types of coal
Formed from dead plant matter over millions of years. Lignite/brown coal has less carbon and more moisture than sub-bituminous coal, bituminous (black) coal or anthracite.
What fraction of Australia’s energy consumption arises from coal power?
40%
What are the key compounds in crude oil and natural gas?
Crude oil: mainly hydrocarbons derived from thermal/chemical alteration of organic matter buried in sedimentary basins.
Natural gas: mainly methane (CH4) with CO2 and other heavier hydrocarbons.
Write simple, balanced equations for the complete combustion of a given hydrocarbon with O2. What are the products of complete combustion?
CH4 +2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O
C2H6 + 7/2O2 → 2CO2 + 3H2O
C3H8 + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2O
C4H10 + 13/2O2 → 4CO2 + 5H2O
Why don’t coal and biomass have a particular chemical formula?
There are many types of each, so there are many possible formula. Samples may contain a mixture of different compounds.
Give examples of types of biomass. Why is it often used as a source of energy?
Wood, agricultural crops, food waste. Often used because it is consistently available and can be managed sustainably.
Distinguish between ‘mineral’, ‘ore’ and ‘gangue’
Minerals: valuable materials with distinct chemical formula.
Gangue: extraneous material that keeps rocks together. Must separate this from valuable minerals.
Ores: naturally occurring solid material containing both minerals and gangue.
What are the key minerals in bauxite ores?
Gibbsite [Al2(OH)3]
Boehmite [γ-AlO(OH)]
Diaspore [α-AlO(OH)]
Why is it important to know the gangue material present in different ores?
So it is already known what needs to be removed in order to isolate the minerals.
Why are some material resources also reported as energy resources?
They are primarily used for energy production.
Which resources are considered renewable energy resources?
Solar PV, Offshore/onshore wind, Bioenergy, Hydropower
In the next 5 years, which renewable energy resource is forecast to outgrow the fastest?
Solar PV.
What factors may influence these future energy forecasts?
Rates of advancements in technology, rates of climate change, rates of change of policies.
Explain the Law of Energy Conservation in your own words.
The amount of energy accumulated is the amount of energy going out of a system subtracted from the amount of energy going in.
Identify different types of energy as energy stored or energy in transit.
Energy in transit: heat, electrical
Stored energy: potential, kinetic, internal
How can we apply this Law to the earth as a whole?
Earth is a closed system. Matter does not enter or leave Earth, but the sun radiates energy into Earth’s system and some of it is radiated back out to space.
