ENERGY

Introduction to Environmental Engineering

SOURCES OF PRIMARY ENERGY:

I. NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES (Energy Capital)
- resources that are not replaced by natural processes or whose rate of replacement is so
slow as to be ineffective and the amount of these materials is finite.
- refer primarily to fossil fuels or to radioactive minerals.
Ex. Crude oil (petroleum, natural gas, coal, synthetic oil and nuclear energy.
II. RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES (Energy Income)
- resources that are replaced in a reasonable length of time or that are usually readily or
can be regenerated by natural processes.
Ex. Hydroelectric energy, tidal forces, geothermal, biomass, and solar.
WORLD CONSUMPTION OF COMMERCIALLY PROVIDED ENERGY:
Commodity
Percentage
Quantity (EJ)
Crude Oil
38.5
144.4
Coal
26.8
100.5
Natural Gas
21.7
81.5
Hydroelectric Power
6.7
25.1
Nuclear Power
6.3
23.6
FOSSIL FUEL RESERVES:
Reserves
Oil
Natural Gas
Coal

Length of Time
Consumption
22
47
232

Expected Year of Depletion

2030
2055
2240

I. NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES:

CRUDE OIL (PETROLEUM) naturally occurring oil that consists chiefly of hydrocarbons with
some other elements such as sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen.
Crude Oil Reserves:
Country
Saudi Arabia
Iraq
Iran
Kuwait
UAE
Philippines

Reserves (in billion barrels)

261.7
115
99.1
98.9
62.8
0.2

ENERGY
Introduction to Environmental Engineering

NATURAL GAS a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons that is found in porous
sedimentary rocks in the earths crust. It consists chiefly of methane, ethane, propane and
butane.
Natural Gas Reserves:
Country
Russia
Iran
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
UAE
Philippines

Reserves (in trillion ft3)

1,700
939
757.7
228.2
204.1
3.7

COAL a brown or black carbon deposit derived from the accumulation and alteration of ancient
vegetation.
Types of Coal
Coal
Lignite
Subbituminous
Bituminous
Superbituminous
Anthracite
Coal Reserves:
Country
USA
Russia
China
Australia
India

Color

Moisture

Brown
Black
Black
Black
Black

70%
43%
5%

Anthracite and
Bituminous
111,338
49,088
62,200
47,300
72,733

2%

Lignite and
Subbituminous
135,305
107,922
52,300
43,100
2,000

Fixed Carbon

70%
80%
83%
90%

Heating Value
(BTU)
7000
9000
13500
16000
13000

Total

Share of Total

246,643
157,010
114,500
90,400
74,733

25.06%
15.95%
11.63%
9.19%
7.59%

NUCLEAR ENERGY energy released in the splitting or fusion of the nuclei of atoms.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF NON-RENEWABLE SOURCES:
Petroleum:
1. Emission of SO2, H2S, CO2, NOx and hydrocarbons.
2. Ground water contamination by leaking tanks.
3. Used oil disposal
4. Interference with fisheries or land use.
5. Refinery effluents.
Natural Gas:
1. Emission of SO2, H2S, CO2, NOx and hydrocarbons.

ENERGY
Introduction to Environmental Engineering

Coal:

1. Emission of CO2, SO2, small airborne particles, NOx, CO, hydrocarbons and volatile
organic compounds (VOCs).
2. Generation of mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium and uranium.
3. Generation of chlorine in wastewater.
4. It can cause thermal pollution.

GLOBAL WARMING:
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the mean surface temperature has increased by
about 0.6oC.
Over the last 40 years, which is the period with most reliable data, the temperature has
increased by 0.3oC.
Warming in the 20th century is greater than in any time during the past 400-600 yrs.
EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING:
Mountain glaciers are receding
The Arctic ice pack has lost about 40% of its thickness over the past four decades
The global sea level is rising about three times faster over the past 100 years
More heat waves and droughts, resulting in more and more conflict for water resources
More extreme weather events, producing floods and property destruction
Greater potential for heat related illnesses and deaths as well as the wider spread of
infectious diseases
Nuclear Power:
1. Emission of radon from mine tailings
2. Contamination of the soil and water
3. Emission of radioactive materials both in mine and mineral processing

Effects of Short-Term Exposure to Radiation:

Dose (rem)
Effect
0 to 25
No detectable clinical effects
25 to 50
Slight, temporary decrease in white blood cell
counts
100 to 200
Nausea, marked decrease in white blood cells
300 and above
It can cause death within 30 days after
exposure

II. RENEWABLE ENERGY:

HYDROELECTRIC POWER uses the force of moving water to produce electricity
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY taps in the heat under the earths crust to boil water. The hot water
is the used to drive electric turbines to produce electricity
WIND POWER it is used to drive with turbines to generate electricity
BIOMASS energy from plants
SOLAR ENERGY energy from the sun that is then converted to electricity using solar cell
TIDAL ENERGY the energy from the sea wave is used to drive turbines to generate electricity

ENERGY
Introduction to Environmental Engineering

Environmental Benefits and Impacts of Renewable Energy:

Energy Source
Hydroelectric
Energy

Benefits
- produces no air pollution and
greenhouse gases

Geothermal

Biomass

Wind

Solar

Tidal

- burning of biomass produces a

minimal air pollution

- it produces no air and water

pollution
- no cooling water needed
- no toxic or hazardous wastes
- posses no threat to public safety
- no air and water pollution
- no toxic or hazardous wastes
during the generation of electricity

- it produces no air and water

pollution
- no cooling water needed
- no toxic and hazardous wastes
- posses no threat to public safety

Impacts
- degradation of forest, farmland,
wild habitats and scenic areas
- it can cause radical changes in river
ecosystems
- it requires a large amount of water
fro cooling, it might cause thermal
pollution of river system
- emission of H2S, SO2, CO2, NO2 and
volatile organic compounds
- generation of sludge (solid waste)
containing silica compounds,
chlorides, arsenic, mercury, nickel
and other toxic heavy metals
- reducing air pollution and water
pollution
- planting energy crops (source of
biomass) makes streams cleaner
- energy crops improve soil quality
- biomass crops can create better
wildlife habitat
- degradation of lands due to
construction of wind turbine
- this might cause the death of birds
- the manufacture of voltaic cells and
components (materials used in some
solar system) requires hazardous
materials such as arsenic, cadmium
and inert silicon
- also requiring cooling water
- degradation of lands due to
construction of turbine

ENERGY
Introduction to Environmental Engineering

ENERGY BALANCE:
Law of Conservation of Energy:
Energy in the universe is constant

[rate of energy accumulated] = [rate of energy in] [rate of energy out] +

[rate of energy produced] - [rate of energy consumed]
[rate of energy in] = [rate of energy out]
[rate of energy in] = [rate of useful energy out] + [rate of wasted energy out]
Efficiency (%) = useful energy out / energy in x 100
Sample Problems:
1. A coal-fired power plant uses 1000 Mg of coal (note: 1 Mg is 1000kg). The energy value
of the coal is 28,000 kJ/kg. The plant produces 2.8 x 106 kWh of electricity each day.
What is the efficiency of the power plant?
2. A diesel electric generator that consumes 10,000 gallons of diesel per week has an
efficiency of 38%. What is the amount of electricity produced of the generator? (The
energy value of diesel is 138,000 BTU/gallon).
Conversion factors: 1 BTU = 252 cal = 1054J = 2.93x10-4 kWh

ENERGY
Introduction to Environmental Engineering

CALORIMETER: - apparatus used to measure the amount of heat (energy) produced during
chemical reaction.

q = mST
where: q - energy out, J
m - mass of water, g
S - specific heat of water (4.18J/goC)
T - change in temperature
Sample Problems:
1. A calorimeter holds 4 liter of water. Ignition of a 10-gram sample of a waste-derived fuel
of unknown energy value yields a temperature rise of 12.5oC. What is the energy value
of this fuel. Ignore the mass of the bomb.
2. 15 grams of hydrocarbon compound with a heating value of 18,513 J/gram is burned in
the calorimeter. The calorimeter that holds 15L of water is initially at 25oC. Calculate the
final temperature of water.
HEAT ENERGY the flow of energy from a body at high temperature to at lower temperature
when they are placed in thermal contact.
Heat energy
0
0
solving for T3:

=
=
=
=

mCt
mass of the material x absolute temperature of the material
[heat energy in] [heat energy out] + 0 0
[T1Q1 + T2Q2] T3Q3

T3 = T1Q1 + T2Q2 / Q3
Q3 = Q1 + Q2

ENERGY
Introduction to Environmental Engineering

Where :

T absolute temperature
Q flow, mass per unit time (or volume if constant density)
1 and 2 input streams
3 output stream

Sample Problem:
A coal fired-power plant discharges 3 m3/s of cooling water at 80oC into a river that has flow at
15 m3/s and a temperature of 20oC. What will be the temperature in the river immediately below
the discharge?