Fossil Fuel

AP Environmental Science

Lesson Plan

KDA

GET 3C (v)
Key Points clearly state
the “what,” “how,” and
“why” of the objective.
They are accurate,
student-friendly, and
written in complete
sentences.

GET 4B (i)
Sets Academic Expectations
Directions provide students
with the clear academic
expectations necessary to
reach exemplar work
outcome aligned to rigor of
assessment

Do Now Match!

Lignite

Peat

Anthracite

Bitumen

Petroleum (oil)

Natural Gas

Coal

Cleanest Fuel

1st in mogs and boors land with water

2ndcrushed sedimentary layer

3rdcrushed and oil deposit quality of layer

4thcrushed and highest quality of coal layer

Consist of pressured layers of peat used for
electricity generation

Natural Gas

Consist of pressured layers of organic material
mined in tar sands

Consist of pressured layers of organic material
built in porous impermeable sedimentary rock

Unit 6.4 Distribution
of Natural Energy
Resources
Unit 6.5 Fossil Fuels

SWBAT: Describe the
environmental impacts
of using fossil fuels as
energy resources
used for

Jan
11

Students will need…

Class Binder & Guided Notes

Writing Utensil: Pen or Pencil

GET 4B (i)
Sets Academic Expectation
Directions provide students
with the clear academic
expectations necessary to
reach exemplar work
outcome aligned to rigor of
assessment

Mining, Conversion, EP
COAL, Natural Gas, & OIL

MINING OF COAL

FF Conversion to Generate Electricity 🔌🔌⚡

⛰ These steps of electricity gen. are the
same, no matter what you’re burning to
produce the initial heat

Heat →Water into Steam → Steam turns a
turbine → Turbine powers generator →
Generator produces electricity

⛰ Coal, oil, natural gas, biomass, and trash can
all be burned to drive this same process and
create energy.

●

The #1 source of electricity production globally is coal, followed by natural gas

Environmental Consequences:
Coal

⛰ Habitat destruction to clear land for mining

⛰ Produces pollutants & releases CO2 (GHG → global warming)

●

Releases more CO2 than any other FF when burned for electricity gen.

●

Releases PM (soot, ash) which can irritate respiratory tracts of humans/animals

●

Produces toxic ash contaminated with lead,
mercury, and arsenic
○

Taken to landfills or stored in ash ponds;
both can leak into ground/surface waters,
or into soil

●

Releases SOx & NOx (sulfur and nitrogen
oxides) which irritate resp. systems, and
contribute to smog and acid precipitation

Multiple Choice

Coal releases what type of greenhouse gases the most?

• steam water

• Trace metals like CO2, SOx, NOx,

• Low level mercuary

Tuesday, February 2, 20XX

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Generating Electricity: Coal Advantage

⛰ Much of the energy “lost” or not converted
into electricity escapes as heat

⛰ Cogeneration: when the heat produced from
electricity generation is used to provide heat (air &
hot water) to a building;
CHP (Combined Heat and Power) systems
are close to 90% efficient (much better than
coal/NG alone)

●

Coal is ~30% efficient as a fuel source for generating electricity (30% of energy from
the bonds in the hydrocarbons are converted to electricity)
○

Nat. Gas is ~60% efficient when it’s burned to generate electricity

Multiple Choice

Co-generation is?

• multiple habitats sharing a community

• when the heat produced is used to provide hot air/water to a building/city

• When coal and oil are mixed in the same power plant

MINING NATURAL GAS
Fracking & Shale Gas

•
Hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking)
is a method of natural gas
extraction that has extended
access to natural gas

•
Gas trapped in semi-
permeable, sedimentary
rock layers, such as shale, is
released by cracking the
rock with pressurized water

Fracking natural gas from
shale rock increases &
extends supply of natural gas

Multiple Choice

Natural Gas is trapped in the bitumen layer consisting of?

• Peat layer

• Tar Sands

• semi-permeable, porous, sedimentary shale rock layer

• Afrrica

Environmental Consequences:
Fracking

⛰ Possibility of well leaking & contaminating groundwater with fracking fluid (salt,
detergents, acids) or hydrocarbons

⛰ Depletion of ground or surface waters nearby (as they’re drawn from for fracking
fluid)

●

Ponds can overflow or leach into ground & contaminate surface or ground
waters with fracking fluid (salt, detergents, acids)

●

Can be toxic to plants & animals that rely on these water sources

●

Increased seismic activity
(earthquakes) linked with
wastewater injection wells
(storing fracking fluid deep
underground)

⛰ Hab. loss/fragment

⛰ CH4 (GHG) release

Multiple Choice

Hydrolic Fracking uses what type of liquid to crack shale rock?

• Nuclear Fission

• Fracking liquid made of salt, detergents, acids

• Hot steam Water

• Soap

Multiple Select

What are the environmental problems to fracking?

• ground water surface water contamination

• fracking fluid leaked into waste wells

• oil spills

MINING OIL
Tar/Oil Sands

●
Canada (Alberta region) =
world’s largest oil sands
reserve

Oil/Petroleum Extraction

⛰ Extracted by drilling a well through the overlying
rock layers to reach the underground deposit and then
pumping liquid oil out under pressure

⛰ Can also be recovered from tar sands
(combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen)

●

Bitumen is a thick, sticky, semi-solid form of
petroleum (not liquid)

●

Extracting & using oil from tar sands is
extremely energy and water intensive
○

Lots of water needs to be heated
(requiring energy) to create steam
that’s piped down into the tar sand to
melt the bitumen into a liquid that can
flow up a pipe
○

Lots more water is used to separate the
oil from all of the impurities (sand, clay)
at the refinery

Multiple Choice

Mining Oil/Tar Sands found in the bitumen layer require?

• Fracking drill

• Steam pip and suction pipe

• open pit mines

Environmental Consequences:
Tar Sands

⛰ Habitat destruction to clear land for: roads, drilling equipment, digging through
ground surface to reach deposits (biodiversity loss)

⛰ Ground or nearby surface water depletion (H2O needed for steam & for washing
impurities from bitumen at refinery)

●

🚱🚱 Water contamination: tailing ponds (holes dug for storing wastewater)
can overflow & run into nearby surface waters, or leach into groundwater
○

Benzene (carcinogen) salts, acids, hydrocarbons, bitumen
○

All toxic to plant and animals

●

CO2 released by machinery during extraction, transport, refinement

Environmental Consequences:
Crude Oil/Petroleum

⛰ Possibility of spill (either from tanker ships or pipelines breaking

⛰ Habitat loss or fragmentation when land is cleared for roads, drilling equipment,
pipelines

●

Spills in water = crude oil covering sun, clogging fish gills, suffocating many
ocean animals, sticking to bird feathers

●

Spills on land = toxic to plant roots, surface or groundwater contamination
(with hydrocarbons/crude oil)

Multiple Select

Environmental problems of oil drilling/mining are?

• Fracking fluid released into ground

• Tailing ponds contaminate water sources and leak to ground water

• CO2 releases due to transportation of tools, clearing forest, and building roads

FF Reserves

1.

North Antelope
Rochelle coal mine, US

2.

Haerwusu coal mine,
China

3.

Raspadskaya coal
mine, Russia

~100-150 Years

~50-60 Years

~50 Years

1. Russia Urengoy,
Yamburg

2. Iran & Qatar South
Pars

1.
Venezuela Orinoco Belt

2. Saudi Arabia Dammam
Oilfield

3. Canada Albert Oil
Sands

Coal

Natural
Gas
Oil

Handout Directions

•Use PPT to answer graph
handouts in FRQ STYLE
ANSWER.
•Use 1.10 handout to help
answer questions

Tuesday, February 2, 20XX

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Exit Ticket

•Log in Clever go to ALBERT
•Complete “1.11 Exit
Ticket” 6 MC questions
•Complete in 5 minutes

Tuesday, February 2, 20XX

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