Resource extraction energy consideration

Since a considerable proportion of all petroleum is consumed in vehicle traction - a particularly inefficient way of extracting energy from a scarce resource which simultaneously causes severe environmental pollution in urban areas - the possibility of replacing vehicles driven by internal combustion engines with battery-powered electric transport is under active consideration, and the development of advanced batteries for this purpose is being pursued in a number of countries. Since batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) must be transported as part of the vehicle load, they require high power/mass ratios in addition to high cycle efficiency. 

Another potentially vast resource is seawater. Uranium resources associated with the oceans are estimated at around 4000 million tonnes however, the uranium concentration in seawater is only around 0.003 ppm. The recovery of uranium from seawater is still subject to basic research. Considerable technological developments as well as significant improvements of economics (or drastic increases in uranium prices) are crucial for the commercial use of this resource, which is unlikely in the foreseeable future. As the energy demand for uranium extraction increases with lower concentrations, the net energy balance of the entire fuel cycle is also critical. 

The system for classification and disposal of hazardous chemical waste developed by EPA under RCRA does not apply to all wastes that contain hazardous chemicals. For example, wastes that contain dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), or asbestos are regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). In addition, the current definition of hazardous waste in 40 CFR Part 261 specifically excludes many wastes that contain hazardous chemicals from regulation under RCRA, including certain wastes produced by extraction, beneficiation, and processing of various ores and minerals or exploration, development, and use of energy resources. Thus, the waste classification system is not comprehensive, because many potentially important wastes that contain hazardous chemicals are excluded, and it is not based primarily on considerations of risks posed by wastes, because the exclusions are based on the source of the waste rather than the potential risk. 

---