Nonrenewable

Synthetic oil is feasible and can be produced from coal or natural gas via synthesis gas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen obtained from incomplete combustion of coal or natural gas). However, these are themselves nonrenewable resources. Coal conversion was used in Germany during World War II by hydrogenation or. 

Rayon is unique among the mass produced man-made fibers because it is the only one to use a natural polymer (cellulose) directly. Polyesters, nylons, polyolefins, and acryflcs all come indirectly from vegetation they come from the polymerization of monomers obtained from reserves of fossil fuels, which in turn were formed by the incomplete biodegradation of vegetation that grew millions of years ago. The extraction of these nonrenewable reserves and the resulting return to the atmosphere of the carbon dioxide from which they were made is one of the most important environmental issues of current times. CeUulosic fibers therefore have much to recommend them provided that the processes used to make them have minimal environmental impact. 

When this reaction was first discovered, a considerably higher (ca 1300°C) temperature was required than that used in the 1990s. Thus, until Haber discovered the appropriate catalyst, this process was not commercially attractive. As of this writing (ca 1995), the process suffers from the requirement for significant quantities of nonrenewable fossil fuels. Although ammonia itself is commonly used as a fertilizer in the United States, elsewhere the ammonia is often converted into soHd or Hquid fertilizers, such as urea (qv), ammonium nitrate or sulfate, and various solutions (see Ammonium COMPOUNDS). 

Wood is the raw material of the naval stores iadustry (77). Naval stores, so named because of their importance to the wooden ships of past centuries, consist of rosin (diterpene resin acids), turpentine (monoterpene hydrocarbons), and associated chemicals derived from pine (see Terpenoids). These were obtained by wounding the tree to yield pine gum, but the high labor costs have substantially reduced this production in the United States. Another source of rosin and turpentine is through extraction of old pine stumps, but this is a nonrenewable resource and this iadustry is in decline. The most important source of naval stores is spent sulfate pulpiag Hquors from kraft pulpiag of pine. In 1995, U.S. production of rosin from all sources was estimated at under 300,000 metric tons and of turpentine at 70,000 metric tons. Distillation of tall oil provides, in addition to rosin, nearly 128,000 metric tons of tall oil fatty acids annually (78). 

Ethylene. Where ethylene is ia short supply and fermentation ethanol is made economically feasible, such as ia India and Bra2il, ethylene is manufactured by the vapor-phase dehydration of ethanol. The production of ethylene [74-85-1] from ethanol usiag naturally renewable resources is an active and useful alternative to the pyrolysis process based on nonrenewable petroleum. This route may make ethanol a significant raw material source for produciag other chemicals. 

Nonrenewable energy sources include the fossil fuels (natural gas,... 

Continuing dependence on fossil fuels raises several major ethical issues. Ethical questions concerning our responsibilities to future generations arc raised by the fact that fossil fuels are a nonrenewable energy source, so that eveiy barrel of oil or ton of coal burned today is forever lost to future generations. Further, the by-products of fossil fuel combustion pose hazards to both present and future generations. 

Fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource. Whatever fossil fuel we use in the present will be forever lost to posterity. Is this fair The harmful effects of global warming are unlikely to occur tor many years. Should we care Is it ethical to take risks... 

For nonrenewable energy sources such as fossil fuels, expectations about the future price and interest rates influence the current quantity supplied. Expectations of higher future prices should cause less production today and more production tomorrow. 

Over 80 percent of the world s energy consumption comes from nonrenewable sources that cannot be sustained indefinitely under current practices. If technological advances continue to make conventional energy resources plentiful and affordable for many years to come, the transition to more sustainable energy sources can be smooth and minimally disruptive. 

Alcohols obtained from nonrenewable petrochemical sources are obtained via the Zeigler or oxo processes. 

Fossil fuels are nonrenewable, and combustion products contaminate the atmosphere. Consequently, scientists are searching for new sources of energy. One possibility is molecular hydrogen, which releases energy when it reacts with oxygen 2 H2(g) + 02(g) 2H2 0(/) + Energy Hydrogen powers the rockets of the space shuttle,... 

From about 1900 until the present, these nonrenewable sources have supplied more than 80% of the energy needs... 

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. 

Mineral resources are nonrenewable resources, in contrast to renewable resources such as surface water and timber, which are or can be replenished naturally or artificially. The geological processes by which most mineral deposits form take a very long time. They can, in no way, be thought to replenish deposits extracted from the ground and dispersed by use. However, it is important to recognize that mineral resources are extendable with the help of advancing technology that develops uses for sources that were not readily usable or exploitable before, allows hidden deposits to be discovered, and enhances the efficiency of recovery and of use. 

When nonrenewable mineral resources are processed for metal extraction and the metals extracted are utilized in various ways and in diverse forms, they become potentially available for reclamation and recycling. Recycled metals produced by the extraction and refining of metallic wastes are known as secondary metals, whereas metals produced from primary ores are termed primary metals. A classification of recyclable metalliferous resources such... 

Figure 7.5 Relationship between nonrenewable and recyclable resources.

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