COAL AND PETROLEUM
We have seen some of the issues involved in the conservation and sustainable use of resources like forests, wildlife and water. These can meet our needs perpetually if we were to use them in a sustainable manner. Now we come to yet another important resource – fossil fuels, that is, coal and petroleum, which are important sources of energy for us. Since the industrial revolution, we have been using increasing amounts of energy to meet our basic needs and for the manufacture of a large number of goods upon which our lives depend. These energy needs have been largely met by the reserves of coal and petroleum.
The management of these energy sources involves slightly different perspectives from those resources discussed earlier. Coal and petroleum were formed from the degradation of bio-mass millions of years ago and hence these are resources that will be exhausted in the future no matter how carefully we use them. And then we would need to look for alternative sources of energy. Various estimates exist as to how long these resources will last if the present rate of usage continues. It is estimated that our known petroleum resources will last us for about forty years and the coal resources will last for another two hundred years.
But looking at other sources of energy is not the only consideration when we look at the consumption of coal and petroleum. Since coal and petroleum have been formed from bio-mass, in addition to carbon, these contain hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur. When these are burnt, the products are carbon dioxide, water, oxides of nitrogen and oxides of sulphur. When combustion takes place in insufficient air (oxygen), then carbon monoxide is formed instead of carbon dioxide. Of these products, the oxides of sulphur and nitrogen and carbon monoxide are poisonous at high concentrations and carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Another way of looking at coal and petroleum is that they are huge reservoirs of carbon and if all of this carbon is converted to carbon dioxide, then the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is going to increase, leading to intense global warming. Thus, we need to use these resources judiciously.
Activity 16.11:
Coal is used in thermal power stations and petroleum products like petrol and diesel are used in means of transport like motor vehicles, ships and aeroplanes. We cannot really imagine life without a number of electrical appliances and constant use of transportation. So can you think of ways in which our consumption of coal and petroleum products be reduced?
Some simple choices can make a difference in our energy consumption patterns. Think over the relative advantages, disadvantages and environment-friendliness of the following –
*Taking a bus, using your personal vehicle or walking/cycling.
*Using LED bulbs or fluorescent tubes in your homes.
*Using the lift or taking the stairs.
*Wearing an extra sweater or using a heating device (heater or ‘sigri’) on cold days.
The management of coal and petroleum also addresses the efficiency of our machines. Fuel is most commonly used in internal combustion engines for transportation and recent research in this field concentrates on ensuring complete combustion in these engines in order to increase efficiency and also reduce air pollution.
Activity 16.12:
You must have heard of the Euro I and Euro II norms for emission from vehicles. Find out how these norms work towards reducing air pollution
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK