Chapter 1A - Fossil Fuels

• A substance that releases energy in a combustion reaction w/ O₂ • has chemical energy stored that can be easily released as heat energy

Joules (J)

• derived from fossil remains of living organisms altered by heat & pressure over millions of years • non-renewable energy source, cannot be replaced by natural processes at the same rate/faster than they are consumed • not sustainable • have high carbon content therefore suitable for combustion • current primary energy source

• most abundant fossil fuel • mined from the ground • combusted in power stations to produce electricity

• higher energy content compared with brown coal due to higher percentage of carbon

• mixture of gases ( 90% methane, ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide & nitrogen) • composition varies depending on where it is extracted from

• type of natural gas • found in the Earth’s crust • extracted by drilling deep into underground deposits using fracking

• injecting liquid at high pressure into the coal to force open fissures/cracks to extract gas • harmful impact on the surrounding environment & water supplies

• black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons • seperated into fractions via fractional distillation process

• crude oil fractions seperated based on boiling points • hydrocarbons are non-polar w/ weak dispersion forces • petrol is mixture of hydrocarbons from 5-12 carbon length chains; octane is the main hydrocarbon

• process of drilling & mining disrupts natural landscape & water table if spills occur • combustion produces greenhouse gas CO₂ contributing to the enhanced greenhouse gas effect • coal & crude oil deposits contaminated w/ sulfur & nitogen compounds cause acid rain (ph below 4.5)