Module 9.1 Flashcards
(16 cards)
a type of
mining that involves blasting off
several hundred feet of
mountaintop, dumping the
rubble into adjacent valleys, and
harvesting the thin ribbons of
coal beneath
Mountaintop removal
A fossil fuel that is
formed when plant material
is buried in oxygen-poor
conditions and subjected to
high heat and pressure over
a long time.
Coal
nonrenewable resources like coal, oil, and natural gas
that were formed over millions of years from the remains of dead
organisms
* Provide the majority of energy for modern society
Fossil fuels
The flow of electrons (negatively charged subatomic
particles) through a conductive material (such as wire)
Electricity
A measure of the net energy
from an energy source (the energy in
the source minus the energy required
to get it, process it, ship it, and then
use it.)
Energy return on energy investment
(EROEI)
a measure of the amount of a fossil fuel that is
economically feasible to extract from a known deposit using current
technology
Proven reserves:
a form of mining
that involves removing soil and rock
that overlays a mineral deposit close
to the surface in order to access that
deposit
Surface mining:
a surface mining
method that accesses coal from
deposits close to the surface on level
ground, one section at a time
Strip mining
he rock and soil removed to uncover a mineral deposit
during surface mining
* After the coal has been removed, the rock is returned to the pit and
topped with the reserved soil.
* The area can be replanted with native grasses (or allowed to reseed)
while the next strip is excavated and mining continues.
Overburden:
a
surface mining technique that involves
using explosives to blast away the top
of a mountain to expose the coal seam
underneath; the waste rock and
rubble is deposited in a nearby valley
Mountaintop removal (MTR)
Water that flows past exposed rock in mines and
leaches out sulfates. These sulfates react with the water and oxygen
to form acids (low pH solutions).
* Acidic water is toxic to living organisms.
* Acidic water alters the nutrient cycle of streams in ways that affect the
entire food chain.
Acid mine drainage:
sites where tunnels are dug underground to access
mineral resources
* Acid mine drainage is an issue with subsurface mines.
* Mining is dangerous.
* Explosions and toxic fumes can be fatal.
* Breathing in coal dust causes pneumoconiosis (black lung disease).
* If a fire starts, it is hard to extinguish.
Subsurface mines:
became an environmentalist;
her family are coal miners.
Maria Gunnoe
The process of removing
carbon from fuel combustion emissions or other sources and storing
it to prevent its release into the atmosphere.
Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)
A liquid or gaseous product produced by removing some
contaminant contained in coal so that the resulting fuel releases less
pollution when burned.
* The process requires significant inputs of energy.
* Lowers the EROEI despite its greater energy efficiency in electricity
generation.
Clean coal
