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Classification of Natural resources: Exhaustible and Inexhaustible
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Inexhaustible Natural Resources
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- These are unlimited in nature, and not to be exhausted by human activities.
- Examples: Include sunlight, air, etc.
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Exhaustible Natural Resources
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- These are limited in nature and can be exhausted by human activities.
- Example: Forests, wildlife, minerals, coal, petroleum, natural gas, etc.
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Consumption of the Limited Reserves of Coal, Petroleum, and Natural Gas
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Details
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- Containers filled with eatables represent exhaustible natural resources.
- Different generations consume these resources differently.
- Some generations may leave resources for future generations.
- The concept underscores the limited availability of certain resources.
- Exhaustible natural resources like coal, petroleum, and natural gas are formed from dead remains of living organisms and are termed fossil fuels.
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From Formation to Flame: The Characteristics, Uses, and Diverse Products of Coal
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Characteristics
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- Coal is hard, stone-like, black in colour.
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Uses
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- Used for cooking, in railway engines, in thermal power plants, and various industries.
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Formation
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- About 300 million years ago, the earth had dense forests in low-lying wetland areas.
- Forests got buried under the soil due to natural processes.
- Carbonisation: Over time, with increased pressure and temperature, dead plants are converted to coal.
- This process of conversion is called carbonization.
- Since it was formed from vegetation remains, coal is a fossil fuel.
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Combustion of Coal
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- When coal is heated in air, it produces mainly carbon dioxide gas.
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Products from Coal
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- Coke: It is a tough, porous, black substance, considered an almost pure form of carbon.
- It is used in steel manufacture and metal extraction.
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Coal Tar
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- It is a black, thick liquid with an unpleasant smell.
- It comprises a mixture of around 200 substances.
- Coal tar is used for synthetic dyes, drugs, explosives, perfumes, plastics, paints, photographic materials, and roofing materials.
- Naphthalene balls, which repel moths and other insects, are derived from coal tar.
- Bitumen: It is a petroleum product, and is now used for road metalling instead of coal tar.
- Coal Gas
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- Coal gas is obtained during coke processing. It is used as a fuel in industries near coal processing plants.
- Historically it was used for street lighting, now more for heating.
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