Long Way Education

By Eman Abdallah Kamel

Eman is a writer and engineer. She is interested in writing about energy sources and their negative environmental impact.

Nonrenewable Energy

Non-renewable energy is energy that is not replenished at a rate sufficient for economical and sustainable extraction within reasonable timeframes. Unlike renewable energy, nonrenewable energy sources require human intervention to make them usable. Non-renewable energy sources primarily rely on fuels extracted from fossil fuel deposits. Fossil fuels are primarily composed of carbon. It is believed that fossil fuels formed over 300 million years ago when the Earth’s topography was different.

Resources

The most common nonrenewable resources are,

1. Coal,
2. Petroleum products,
3. Natural gas,
4. Nuclear fuels.

1. Coal

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock that is either black or dark brown. It forms in layers of rock known as coal seams. Coal is primarily composed of carbon, with varying amounts of hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dead plant matter decomposes into peat, which is then converted into coal by millions of years of deep burial, heat, and pressure.

Story of coal formation

According to one theory, around 360 million years ago,

• Certain plants developed the ability to produce lignin, a complex polymer that made their cellulose stems more rigid and woody. Thus, the first trees arose. However, bacteria and fungi did not immediately develop the ability to break down lignin, so the wood did not fully decompose; instead, it was buried under sediment, eventually turning into coal.
• Fungi evolved this ability around 300 million years ago, putting an end to the Earth’s major coal-formation period. Earth once had dense forests in low-lying wetlands. Natural processes, such as flooding, buried these forests beneath the ground. As more soil piled on top, it compacted. The temperature also rose with depth. As the process progressed, the plant material was shielded from biological decomposition and oxidation, typically with clay or acidic water. This resulted in carbon being trapped in vast peat bogs, which were eventually covered in sediment and buried at great depths. Under high pressure and temperature, the dead plants gradually transformed into charcoal.
• Geological processes exert pressure on dead organic matter over time, and under appropriate conditions, it gradually transforms into:

1. Peat is a raw material for coal. Peat is a mass of recently accumulated or partially carbonized plant remains. It is an organic sediment. Burial, pressure, and carbonization transform it into coal, a rock. Peat has a lower carbon content on a dry, ash-free basis.
2. Lignite, or brown coal, is the lowest quality of coal and the most harmful to health. It is used as fuel for electricity generation. It is the softest, freshest, and wettest form of coal, characterized by its low carbon content and, consequently, low energy content.
3. Anthracite, the most common type of coal, is a shiny, hard, black coal used primarily to heat homes and commercial buildings. It is the highest-quality, hardest, oldest, and least common type of coal. It is distinguished by a high energy content, a high carbon content (over 90%), and a low moisture or volatile matter concentration.
4. Bituminous coal is a dense sedimentary rock, usually black but sometimes dark brown, and often contains distinct layers of shiny and matte materials. It is the second most abundant type of coal, softer and more recently formed than anthracite. It includes a lower percentage of carbon, resulting in a higher moisture and volatile matter content. This type of coal is used for electricity generation.
5. Semi-bituminous coal, which falls between lignite and bituminous coal, is primarily used as fuel for steam power generation.

2. Petroleum

Oil is produced from the remains of animals and plants that lived in water millions of years ago. This process began 300 to 400 million years ago, when the remains began to settle on the ocean floor and became covered in sand and mud. Between 50 and 100 million years ago, these remains were covered in a thick layer of sand and mud, resulting in high pressure and temperatures. These conditions resulted in the formation of crude oil.

Did You Know?

The United States is the largest producer of petroleum, followed by Saudi Arabia and Russia.

How oil is obtained 

1. Geologists use seismic surveys to identify geological structures that may contain oil reservoirs. This method involves underground blasting near the reservoir and monitoring the seismic response to identify subsurface geological structures. Other tools used in oil exploration include gravimeters and magnetometers.
2. An oil well is drilled by creating a long hole in the ground using a drilling rig. A steel pipe is placed inside the hole to provide structural support for the newly drilled well. Holes are then drilled into the bottom of the well to allow oil to flow into it. Finally, a set of valves is installed at the top; these valves regulate the pressure and control the flow.
3. The process of extracting and recovering oil goes through three stages: primary recovery, secondary recovery, and enhanced recovery.

Did You Know?

The amount of oil that can be extracted is determined by several factors, including rock permeability, the force of natural forces (associated gas, pressure of adjacent water, and gravity), the porosity of the reservoir rocks (i.e., their ability to store oil), and the viscosity of the oil.

3. Natural Gas

It consists primarily of methane, a simple molecule made up of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. Natural gas is characterized by:

• Methane is highly flammable, burning almost completely. After combustion, it produces no ash, resulting in minimal air pollution.
• Natural gas is colorless, tasteless, odorless, and has no discernible appearance in its natural state, making it difficult for humans to detect. As a result, companies add chemicals that produce a rotten egg odor, making it easier for people to detect potential gas leaks in their homes.

Did You Know?

Natural gas is cleaner than oil and coal. As a result, it is increasingly regarded as a viable solution to climate change and air pollution. Compared to oil and coal, natural gas has a higher hydrogen-to-carbon ratio and produces fewer carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere for the same amount of energy.

How natural gas is extracted

• Both oil and natural gas are extracted from the same well. As with oil production, some natural gas rises to the surface independently due to the high pressure at depth. These types of gas wells require only a pipeline system to control the gas flow.
• After natural gas is extracted, it is transported via a network of gas pipelines to storage tanks and then to consumers.

4. Nuclear Fuel

Nuclear power accounts for approximately 6% of global energy and 13-14% of electricity production. As a result, it is classified as a nonrenewable resource. The use of nuclear technology relies on nuclear fission, which uses naturally occurring radioactive materials as fuel. Uranium is the most common type of nuclear fission fuel, with relatively low concentrations underground, and it is mined in 19 countries. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are primary sources. In the United States, uranium is mined in several western states. Major commercial fuel enrichment facilities are located in the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Russia.

How uranium is made

1. Uranium is extracted using conventional methods or by in-situ leaching, where carbonized water is pumped into underground deposits and piped to the surface. 
2. To sustain the chain reaction necessary for reactor operation, uranium requires a sufficiently high concentration of a specific isotope, uranium-235. Natural uranium is converted into several different forms to prepare it for enrichment. Specialized facilities enrich uranium to make it suitable for use in a nuclear reactor.
3. The enriched uranium is then ground into a powder and pressed into fuel pellets. The fuel manufacturer places these pellets in bundles of sealed metal tubes known as fuel bundles, which are used in nuclear reactors. 

Disadvantages

Non-renewable energy has drawbacks, and some of these drawbacks may pose risks.

1. Global warming: Fossil fuels are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, accounting for more than 75% of total global greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of carbon dioxide emissions. Nuclear power plants across Europe have also proven unreliable in providing energy when needed. Future weather conditions, such as heat waves, droughts, floods, and rising sea levels, increase the likelihood of nuclear power plant outages in the future and pose additional security risks.
2. Unsustainable production: The extraction of fossil fuels, particularly coal mining and oil drilling, causes widespread land degradation and destruction of natural habitats.
3. Geopolitical Dependency: The use and trade of fossil fuels are inextricably linked to global politics. Countries lacking domestic fossil fuel reserves are at the mercy of exporting countries, resulting in energy insecurity and economic dependence. This reliance can also spark geopolitical tensions.
4. Expensive: Recent European projects in Slovakia, the United Kingdom, France, and Finland show a significant increase in costs. EDF has acknowledged that the costs of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in the United Kingdom will rise to €53.8 billion for the planned 3.2 GW plant, more than doubling the cost estimated in 2015 when the plant was approved.

Sources

• Nonrenewable Energy Resources
• Oil Production by Country
• Nuclear Fuel
• Disadvantages of Non-renewable Energy Sources: A Global Challenge
• Myth buster: Nuclear energy is a dangerous distraction

©Eman Abdallah Kamel, 2025

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