Exhaustion of nonrenewable resources

The utilization of domestic natural nonrenewable resources is inevitable, and analyzing these resources helps to assess the profitability of importing raw materials, fuels, and semifinished products as well as utilizing secondary raw materials. In analyzing the exhaustion of nonrenewable natural resources, the balance equations of Eq. (5.20) should be modified if domestic nonrenewable resources are of interest. In this case, imported raw materials, fuels, and semifinished products should be taken into account separately... 

The exhaustion of nonrenewable natural resources is called the index of ecological cost. To determine the domestic ecological cost imported materials and fuels is taken into account... 

The consumption of nonrenewable resources cannot grow exponentially for an indefinite period because the resource is finite and its supply finally expires.This is shown in Figure ia, where the rate of consumption, such as barrels of oil produced per year, is plotted against time, say in years. In such a graph the shaded area under the curve represents the supply of the resource. When the supply is exhausted, consumption ceases altogether. This sudden change is rarely the case, for the rate of extracting the supply falls as it... 

Industrial civilization was built by the consumption of fossil fuels. Currently, well over 80% of world energy comes from the three main fossil fuels petroleum, natural gas, and coal. Because these are nonrenewable resources, there will come a time when these energy bank accounts are exhausted. Experts disagree on how soon the depletion of fossil fuels will occur, but eventually it will be necessary to find other energy sources. 

The replacement of timber products by nonrenewable materials is an unfortunate development, since it has been repeatedly shown that the use of timber does have associated environmental benefits compared with the use of nonrenewables (e.g. Marcea and Lau, 1992 Hillier and Murphy, 2000 Bowyer etal., 2003 Lippke etal., 2004). Timber has a lower embodied energy content (and hence a more favourable carbon emission profile) compared to most other building materials and can provide other benefits, such as improved thermal properties. It and the products made from it (in common with other renewable materials) can be used as a repository for atmospheric carbon dioxide. Wood is derived from a renewable resource, albeit potentially an exhaustible one unless it is managed correctly. Disposal of wood can be readily achieved with little environmental impact (subject to how the wood has been treated prior to disposal). 

Hydrocarbons are required in our modern-day life not only as energy sources, including convenient transportation fuels for our cars, tracks, airplanes (see Section 1.8.2) but also to produce commonly used products ranging from polymers to textiles to pharmaceuticals. At the beginning of the twenty-first century we can look back with substantial satisfaction at our technological and scientific achievements. We should, however, also realize that we continue to deplete the nonrenewable resources of our planet, particularly fossil fuels and hydrocarbons and at the same time create ecological and environmental problems. As mentioned earlier, dire predictions of the early exhaustion of our natural hydrocarbon sources by the... 

Raw materials derived from the above natural resources are classified as either renewable or nonrenewable. Renewable resources are those that regenerate themselves, such as agricultimal, forestry, fishery, and wildlife products. If the rate at which they are consumed becomes so great that it drives these resources to exhaustion, however, these renewable resources can become nonrenewable. Nonrenewable resources are those that are formed over long periods of geologic time. They include metals, minerals, and organic materials. 

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