kinds of coal?- What product of nuclear energy has caused concerns about the use of this resource?
- What is one important fuel that comes out of the oil refining process?
- Which chemical element exposed in surface coal mining can cause environmental prob-
lems in nearby bodies of water? - Waxes can be made from the processing of which fossil fuel?
- Why does natural gas need to be processed before we can use it as a fuel?
- What are some problems with using coal? but not for using gasoline?
- What characteristic of gasoline is most important in making it a useful fuel for trans-
portation? Explain. - Does nuclear energy cause air pollution? Explain.
Further Reading / Supplemental Links
- Perry, Mildred, ”Coal.” Encyclopedia of Earth, 2007. Available on the Web at
- http://www.eoearth.org/article/Coal
- http://www.earthportal.org/
Vocabulary
corrosive Able to cause chemical changes to a substance that weaken or destroy the sub-
stance.
hydrocarbon A chemical compound that contains only carbon and hydrogen.
metamorphic Atypeofrockthatformswhenexistingrockisexposedtohightemperature
and pressure.
nuclear energy Energy that is released from the nucleus of an atom when it is changed
into another atom.
sedimentary A type of rock that forms from layers of sediment under high pressure.
Points to Consider
- How are renewable sources of energy different from nonrenewable sources of energy?
- Are all renewable energy sources equally practical?
- Are all renewable energy sources equally good for the environment?