Fossil Fuels By Katie Morgan and Paige Ronan

Where Fossil Fuels Come From All energy in oil, gas, and coal originally came from the sun. Ancient plants captured the energy we burn from the sun. Take millions of years to form Not renewable within human lifespan Releases carbon dioxide Overwhelming natural cycles http: //www. techalive. mtu. edu/meec/module 19/Page 4. htm

The Process of How Fossil Fuels Formed through animals and plants being buried in sediment on land Major contributor is plant life that has decayed Coal is formed from trees The plants and animals that made fossil fuels lived up to 300 million years ago.

Environmental Impact Greenhouse effect Acidic pollution increases the chance of asthma and other respiratory diseases Damages trees and buildings Creates dead lakes

Advantages Inexpensive(coal) Easy to recover in U. S and Russia Easy to obtain Good distribution system Better as space heating energy source

Disadvantages Requires expensive air pollution controls Large price swings with supply and demand Expensive for energy generation Major contributor to global warming Limited availability

Four Outputs Type 1: Expected Desired- Generates Electricity Type 2: Expected Undesired. Produces undesired smoke and ash Type 3: Unexpected Desired- Waste energy production Type 4: Unexpected Undesired- Dead lakes and regions from acid rain

Facts Three types of fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil Fuels are made by fossilized remains of dead plants/animals. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons found in the top layer of the earth's crust. Non-renewable Sulfur dioxide is a key contributor to acid rain, mostly in the northeast U. S. Nitrogen oxide contributes to acid rain and smog Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, trapping heat into the earth's atmosphere. The age fossil fuels were formed is called the Carboniferous Period.

Facts continued The U. S. Uses about 20. 8 million barrels of oil a day. Fossil fuels account for nearly 80% of our country's energy. The earliest known use of coal was in China. Oil has been used for more than 5 -6 thousand years. Coal could be found even during the time of the dinosaurs.

Sources http: //www. nucleartourist. com/basics/why. htm http: //www. altenergy. org/ http: //www. freepatentsonline. com http: //www. discoveringfossils. co. uk/fossilfuels. htm http: //www. api. org/classroom/tools/facts_fossil_fuels. cfm http: //www. patentstorm. us/patents/5496729. html