BY: RAHAT INAYAT ALI

A nonrenewable resource is a resource of economic value that cannot be readily replaced by natural means on a level equal to its consumption. Most fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas and coal are considered nonrenewable resources in that their use is not sustainable because their formation takes billions of years.

Examples CoalPetroleumNatural gasNuclear energy

WHAT IS COAL?• COAL IS A COMBUSTIBLE BLACK OR BROWNISH-BLACK SEDIMENTARY ROCK COMPOSED

MOSTLY OF CARBON AND HYDROCARBONS. COAL IS MADE OF THE REMAINS OF ANCIENT TREES AND PLANTS THAT GREW IN GREAT SWAMPY JUNGLES IN WARM, MOIST CLIMATES HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO. THE CHEMICAL AND ORGANIC PROCESS THESE DEAD ORGANISMS UNDERGO TO BECOME COAL IS KNOWN AS CARBONIZATION. COAL IS RANKED VERY HIGH IF IT HAS UNDERGONE A LONGER CARBONIZATION PERIOD. AN EXAMPLE IS ANTHRACITE. COAL THAT HAS NOT UNDERGONE TOO MUCH CARBONIZATION IS RANKED LOW, AND AN EXAMPLE IS PEAT.

HOW IS COAL CONVERTED INTO ELECTRICITY?LET US TAKE A LOOK AT THE DIAGRAM BELOW:

1. COAL IS MILLED TO A FINE POWDER, ALLOWING IT TO BURN MORE QUICKLY. IT IS BLOWN INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER OF A BOILER WHERE IT IS BURNT AT HIGH TEMPERATURE.

2. THE HOT GASES AND HEAT ENERGY PRODUCED CONVERTS WATER IN TUBES LINING THE BOILER INTO STEAM.

• 3. THE HIGH-PRESSURE STEAM IS PASSED INTO A TURBINE CONTAINING THOUSANDS OF PROPELLER-LIKE BLADES. THE STEAM PUSHES THESE BLADES CAUSING THE TURBINE SHAFT TO ROTATE AT HIGH SPEED. THE STEAM IS CONDENSED AND RETURNED TO THE BOILING CHAMBER WHERE IT IS HEATED AGAIN.

4. THE SHAFT ROTATION ENGAGES THE WIRE COILS AND MAGNETS IN A GENERATOR CONNECTED TO IT. THIS CHARGED MAGNETIC FIELD PRODUCES ELECTRICITY

5. ELECTRICITY IS SENT TO THE SWITCHBOARD (TRANSFORMER) WHERE IT IS REGULATED AND SENT VIA ON-LAND CABLES TO HOMES.USING COAL TO PRODUCE ENERGY CAUSES MANY SOME PROBLEMS, USUALLY ON A GREATER SCALE THAN THE USE OF OIL OR GAS. THESE PROBLEMS INCLUDE ACID RAIN, SULFUR OXIDE EMISSION, CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSION, POORER LAND, HAZARDOUS WASTE AND OTHERS.

SEVERAL FORMS OF COAL EXIST IN THE WORLD. ANTHRACITE, BITUMINOUS COAL, LIGNITE, AND SUB-BITUMINOUS COAL ARE ALL DIFFERENT TYPES THAT ARE USED BY HUMANS.

WHAT IS PETROLEUM (CRUDE OIL)?CRUDE OIL (A NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE) IS USUALLY FOUND IN UNDERGROUND AREAS CALLED RESERVOIRS. IT IS LIQUID IN NATURE AND YELLOWISH BLACK IN COLOUR. THEY ARE COMPOSED MAINLY OF HYDROCARBONS AND ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. THEY ARE USUALLY DISCOVERED BY OIL PROSPECTING SCIENTISTS.

SOMETIMES, PETROLEUM AND CRUDE OIL ARE USED TO MEAN THE SAME THING, BUT PETROLEUM ITSELF IS A BROAD RANGE OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS INCLUDING CRUDE OIL ITSELF.

WHAT IS NATURAL GAS?• NATURAL GAS IS COLORLESS, SHAPELESS, AND ODORLESS IN ITS PURE FORM. UNLIKE

OTHER FOSSIL FUELS, NATURAL GAS IS CLEAN BURNING AND EMITS LOWER LEVELS OF POTENTIALLY HARMFUL BYPRODUCTS INTO THE AIR. IT IS THEREFORE CALLED "CLEAN GAS‘

• WHILE NATURAL GAS IS FORMED PRIMARILY OF METHANE, IT CAN ALSO INCLUDE ETHANE, PROPANE, BUTANE AND PENTANE. IT IS ONE OF THE GASES THAT ARE FORMED BY THE SAME FORMATION OF FOSSIL FUELS.

THE MAIN INGREDIENT IN NATURAL GAS IS METHANE, A GAS (OR COMPOUND) COMPOSED OF ONE CARBON ATOM AND FOUR HYDROGEN ATOMS.

NATURAL GAS SUPPLIES ABOUT 23.8 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S ENERGY. GAS IS EXTRACTED BY DRILLING WELLS DEEP INTO THE GROUND, THROUGH MANY LAYERS OR ROCK TO REACH THE GAS DEPOSITS.

• WHAT IS URANIUM (NUCLEAR ENERGY)?• NUCLEAR ENERGY IS ENERGY IN THE NUCLEUS (CORE) OF AN ATOM. ATOMS ARE TINY

PARTICLES THAT MAKE UP EVERY OBJECT IN THE UNIVERSE. THERE IS ENORMOUS ENERGY IN THE BONDS THAT HOLD ATOMS TOGETHER.

• IT IS USUALLY IN A FORM OF HEAVY METAL, NATURALLY OCCURRING IN MOST ROCKS, SOIL, AND EVEN IN THE OCEAN! IT IS FOUND IN MANY PLACES IN THE WORLD. ENERGY FROM URANIUM IS CALLED NUCLEAR ENERGY.

• ADVANTAGES OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY• ACCORDING TO THE U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION, NON-RENEWABLE

ENERGY SOURCES CANNOT BE REPLENISHED IN A SHORT PERIOD. THEY INCLUDE FOSSIL FUELS SUCH AS OIL, NATURAL GAS, COAL, AND URANIUM USED FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY.

• THE MAIN ADVANTAGES OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGIES IS THAT THEY ARE ABUNDANT AND AFFORDABLE. FOR EXAMPLE, OIL AND DIESEL ARE STILL GOOD CHOICES FOR POWERING VEHICLES. NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY IS COST EFFECTIVE AND EASIER TO PRODUCT AND USE. ACCORDING TONATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, THERE ARE RESERVOIRS OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

• DISADVANTAGES OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY• ON THE OTHER SIDE ARE THE DISADVANTAGES TO NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY.

SOLARSCHOOLS.NET INDICATES THAT ONCE SOURCES OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGIES ARE GONE THEY CAN'T BE REPLACED OR REVITALIZED.

• THE MINING OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY AND THE BY-PRODUCTS THEY LEAVE BEHIND CAUSES DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT. THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT THAT FOSSIL FUELS CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL WARMING. WHEN FOSSIL FUELS ARE BURNED, NITROUS OXIDES CAUSES PHOTOCHEMICAL POLLUTION, SULPHUR DIOXIDE CREATES ACID RAIN, AND GREENHOUSE GASES ARE EMITTED.

• A MAJOR DISADVANTAGE OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY IS THE CHALLENGE OF BREAKING HUMANS OF THEIR HABIT OF LEANING ON IT. THE UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS REPORTS IT'S AN UPHILL BATTLE TO SWAY CONSUMERS THAT THE SO-CALLED "PUBLIC GOODS" OF RENEWABLE ENERGY, SUCH AS REDUCING POLLUTION FOR EVERYONE, MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO CONVINCE THEM TO PAY MORE FOR CLEANER ENERGY.

THE END