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Fossil Fuels
Published in Robert Ehrlich, Harold A. Geller, John R. Cressman, Renewable Energy, 2023
Robert Ehrlich, Harold A. Geller, John R. Cressman
The element carbon is an essential component of all fossil fuels and the ancient (and modern) life from which they arose. In fact, as any science fiction enthusiast is aware, we (and other life on Earth) are carbon-based life forms. In fact, roughly half the dry weight of most living organisms consists of carbon. The carbon cycle describes the host of biogeochemical processes by which carbon is exchanged between a multiplicity of reservoirs on, above, and inside the Earth. These reservoirs on or near the Earth’s surface include the atmosphere (where the carbon is mostly CO2), the biosphere, the oceans, and sediments, which include fossil fuel deposits. The largest of these reservoirs by far is the oceans, and the greatest component there is the deep ocean part (38,000 Gton), which does not rapidly exchange carbon with the upper layers or the atmosphere. Of the reservoirs in the Earth’s crust the fossil fuel deposits are the largest, while for aboveground terrestrial carbon, the largest component (86%) is stored in forests. There are many pathways by which carbon can enter or leave the Earth’s atmosphere. These include the decay of animal and plant matter, fossil fuel combustion, production of cement, and volcanic eruptions. As the planet warms due to increased atmospheric CO2, even more CO2 enters the atmosphere since the equilibrium concentration of dissolved CO2 in the upper layers of the oceans becomes less.
Ecosystems and Energy Flow
Published in Gary S. Moore, Kathleen A. Bell, Living with the Earth, 2018
Gary S. Moore, Kathleen A. Bell
Humans, along with most animals and plants, are carbon-based life forms. It’s not surprising then that carbon is available in such a wide spectrum of forms including the physical states of gas, liquid, or solid, and the chemical forms including organic and inorganic (Figure 1.18). Inorganic sources of carbon include gaseous carbon dioxide, which appears in the atmosphere at about 0.03 percent (300 ppm). Carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere from (1) the respiratory process of animals and plants, which consume oxygen and release carbon dioxide and water; (2) the combustion of fossil or organic fuels such as coal, wood, oil, and gas; and (3) the decomposition of organic matter (leaves, carcasses, animal waste) by insects and microbes. Carbon dioxide is also dissolved in water where it forms a weakly acidic solution. Small amounts of carbonate and bicarbonate ions are produced, while more than 99 percent of the carbon dioxide remains dissolved in the water without conversion. Therefore, the water and precipitation are only slightly acidified by carbon dioxide. However, the amount of carbon dioxide in the water is enormous and estimates place the level of carbon dissolved in the oceans at 70–100 times greater than present in the atmosphere.6,9,11 The carbonate ions formed in the water can react with calcium to form calcium carbonate, which mineralizes to form limestone. Limestone can also be formed from shellfish that create an insoluble calcium.
Fossil Fuels
Published in Robert Ehrlich, Harold A. Geller, Renewable Energy, 2017
Robert Ehrlich, Harold A. Geller
The element carbon is an essential component of all fossil fuels and the ancient (and modern) life from which they arose. In fact, as any science fiction enthusiast is aware, we (and other life on Earth) are carbon-based life forms. In fact, roughly half the dry weight of most living organisms consists of carbon. The carbon cycle describes the host of biogeochemical processes by which carbon is exchanged between a multiplicity of reservoirs on, above, and inside the Earth. These reservoirs on or near the Earth’s surface include the atmosphere (where the carbon is mostly CO2), the biosphere, the oceans, and sediments, which include fossil fuel deposits. The largest of these reservoirs by far is the oceans, and the greatest component there is the deep ocean part (38,000 Gton), which does not rapidly exchange carbon with the upper layers or the atmosphere. Of the reservoirs in the Earth’s crust the fossil fuel deposits are the largest, while for aboveground terrestrial carbon, the largest component (86%) is stored in forests. There are many pathways by which carbon can enter or leave the Earth’s atmosphere. These include the decay of animal and plant matter, fossil fuel combustion, production of cement, and volcanic eruptions. As the planet warms due to increased atmospheric CO2, even more CO2 enters the atmosphere since the equilibrium concentration of dissolved CO2 in the upper layers of the oceans becomes less.
The co-evolution of life and organics on earth: Expansions of energy harnessing
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2021
Guo-Xin Sun, Song-Can Chen, Gang Li, Xiao-Ming Li, Long-Jun Ding, Brian J. Reid, Philippe Ciais, Yong-Guan Zhu
Life is processes of generating reduced organic compounds from carbon dioxide as well as the harnessing of environmental energy. Over the course of Earth history, the harnessing of free energy by organisms has had a dramatic impact on the geosphere, including minerals and organics (Dietrich, Tice, & Newman, 2006; Grosch & Hazen, 2015; Judson, 2017), shaped the whole trajectory of life evolution. As a direct consequence of a coevolving geosphere and biosphere, the Earth’s crust has changed greatly over billions of years. The origin and evolution of organic compounds on the planetary environment are compelling because of their potential role in the origin of life and sustaining microbial communities (Lazcano & Miller, 1996; McDermott, Seewald, German, & Sylva, 2015; Schönheit, Buckel, & Martin, 2016). Carbon lies at the heart of carbon-based life forms and provides unparalleled potential for earth evolution. The origin of life is inextricably linked to the behavior of carbon (Hazen, 2019). The evolution of organics is coupled with the evolution of life, which is expanded with a variety of available free energy sources (Judson, 2017). Collectively, these linkages have mediated the generation and transformation of soils and sediments. Here we review the origin and evolution of organics on Earth, and their relationship with diversification and expansion of energy utilization and with biological and geological development.