Canada fossil fuels

Selection of pollution control methods is generally based on the need to control ambient air quaUty in order to achieve compliance with standards for critetia pollutants, or, in the case of nonregulated contaminants, to protect human health and vegetation. There are three elements to a pollution problem a source, a receptor affected by the pollutants, and the transport of pollutants from source to receptor. Modification or elimination of any one of these elements can change the nature of a pollution problem. For instance, tall stacks which disperse effluent modify the transport of pollutants and can thus reduce nearby SO2 deposition from sulfur-containing fossil fuel combustion. Although better dispersion aloft can solve a local problem, if done from numerous sources it can unfortunately cause a regional one, such as the acid rain now evident in the northeastern United States and Canada (see Atmospheric models). References 3—15 discuss atmospheric dilution as a control measure. The better approach, however, is to control emissions at the source. 

In addition to the significant consumption of coal and lignite, petroleum, and natural gas, several countries utilize modest quantities of alternative fossil fuels. Canada obtains some of its energy from the Athabasca tar sands development (the Great Canadian Oil Sands Project). Oil shale is burned at... 

Acid rain is the popular term for a very complex environmental problem. Over the past 25 years, evidence has accumulated on changes in aquatic life and soil pH in Scandinavia, Canada, and the northeastern United States. Many believe that these changes are caused by acidic deposition traceable to pollutant acid precursors that result from the burning of fossil fuels. Acid rain is only one component of acidic deposition, a more appropriate description of this phenomenon. Acidic deposition is the combined total of wet and dry deposition, with wet acidic deposition being commonly referred to as acid rain. 

In 1985, about 70% of the sulphur dioxide in the United States was emitted from fossil-fueled generating stations while in Canada, about 50% was... 

At the beginning of the 1990s, Houston Industries developed an enzymatic process ( Enzymatic Coal Desulfurization ) protected in Canada and US [83,84], Although, the application was focused to coal desulfurization it may also be applicable to crude oil and fossil fuel-derived liquids. The processes claim the removal of both, organic as well as inorganic sulfur species. The process was described as using ground coal (10-50 p,m) slurried with water, while the oil was treated in an aqueous emulsion. 

More than 90% of the world s nickel is obtained from pentlandite ((FeNi)9S8), a nickel-sulfitic mineral, mined underground in Canada and the former Soviet Union (Sevin 1980 IARC 1976 WHO 1991). One of the largest sulfitic nickel deposits is in Sudbury, Ontario (USPHS 1993). Nickeliferous sulfide deposits are also found in Manitoba, South Africa, the former Soviet Union, Finland, western Australia, and Minnesota (Norseth and Piscator 1979 USPHS 1993). Most of the rest of the nickel obtained is from nickel minerals such as laterite, a nickel oxide ore mined by open pit techniques in Australia, Cuba, Indonesia, New Caledonia, and the former Soviet Union (Sevin 1980). Lateritic ores are less well defined than sulfitic ores, although the nickel content (1 to 3%) of both ores is similar (USPHS 1993). Important deposits of laterite are located in New Caledonia, Indonesia, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Brazil, and especially Cuba, which holds 35% of the known reserves (USPHS 1993). Nickel-rich nodules are found on the ocean floor, and nickel is also present in fossil fuels (Sevin 1980). 

There is further the Weyburn field in Canada, where C02 from the Dakota gasification plant is used for enhanced oil recovery. The Weyburn case stands for an example of the use of C02 from a fossil-fuel plant for enhanced oil recovery and for underground storage. Nevertheless this activity is also performed within the context of hydrocarbon recovery, where special regulations apply in many countries worldwide. 

Enough radiant energy reaches Earth every day to meet the world s energy needs many times over. Since this is - the case, why do fossil fuels provide most of Canada s energy, while solar power supplies only a tiny fraction ... 

Desulfurization of fossil fuels was the subject of an authoritative review by J. B. Hyne (Alberta Sulphur Research Institute). This is a topic of increasing importance as Canada relies more and more on sulfur-containing fuels such as tar sands and heavy oils. Hyne reviewed the present state of the chemistry and technology for both precombustion desulfurization of natural gas and crude oils and postcombustion tailgas clean up of coals and cokes. He clearly identified areas of possible future research such as the high temperature-high pressure chemistry pertaining to in-situ desulfurization processes. 

Figure 2. Canadas potential recoverable reserves of fossil fuels (in barrels-of-oil equivalent). Total 1000 billion source Federal Government Publication An Energy Policy for Canada. ...

Acid rain. Lakes in some areas of the world are now registering very low pH s because of excess acidity in rain. This was first noticed in Scandinavia and is now prevalent in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. Normal rainfall is 5.6 (because of CO2 in the air forming H2CO3). However, excessive use of fossil fuels (especially coal) with high sulfur and nitrogen content cause sulfuric and nitric acids in the atmosphere from the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide products of combustion. Some rain in the Adirondack Mountains of upper New York State has been measured with a pH of 3.0. This problem is not specific to the chemical industry but should be of concern to all of us. 

Along with other alternative sources of energy during the energy crisis of the 1970s, considerable attention was devoted to the exploitation of tar sands. Once, it was predicted that deposits in Canada could yield a light synthetic crude oil to the extent of a million barrels per day, or about one-third of Canada s petroleum requirements. Later, when serious environmental concern over fossil fuels was indicated, research turned essentially elsewhere. It was estimated in the late 1970s that tar sands reserves hi the United States, mainly in Utah, would have the petroleum equivalent of 90 billion barrels. 

The combustion of fossil fuels releases sulfur and nitrogen oxides. These oxides react with water vapour in the atmosphere to produce acid rain. Some lakes in northern Canada are dead because acid rain has killed the plants, algae, and fish that used to live in them. Forests in Quebec and other parts of Canada have also suffered from acid rain. 

Nuclear energy is a long-term energy resource that can serve the United States and the world for centuries. With major uranium supplies in the United States, Canada, and Australia, increased reliance on nuclear fuel supplies adds to U.S. energy security. Nuclear power reactors do not involve any C02 emissions to the atmosphere, nor do they emit any toxic air pollutants such as are emitted by fossil-fueled power... 

Axelson, D. E., Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Fossil Fuels An Experimental Approach, Multiscience Publications, Canada, 1985. 

The fixed percentages of natural gas and coal inputs would in practice be modified for countries with resources primarily of one type. For example, Norway and Saudi Arabia would increase their use of natural gas in order not to have to import coal. For covmtries able to cover their own electricity requirements with existing hydro, e.g., Canada and Norway, the scenario construction does not initially take into account export options, and the hydro input in Fig. 5.33 is therefore less than the potential production (by 177 GW). This additional capacity will in reahty be used for export of electric power to neighbouring covmtries and thus will slightly diminish the use of fossil fuels, on a global level. 

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