Minerals are exhaustible resources. These resources are limited and unevenly distributed. Per head consumption of minerals is higher in developed countries as compared to the same in developing countries. Therefore, we need to use them economically and conserve them for future generations.
The conservation of minerals does not mean preservation of minerals. It implies that efforts should be made to utilise minerals in the best possible way, depending upon the industrial need and changing technological requirements. Thus, conservation stands for sustainable development, where a balance is maintained between the economic development and the utilisation of natural resources, without causing damage to the environment. There is an urgent need to avoid the wastage of minerals. Following measures can be taken to conserve minerals:
- Use of efficient methods of mining and processing to minimise the wastage.
- Recycling of mineral resources-use and reuse of scrap (metallic waste).
- Substituting the use of scarce minerals by those found in abundance.
ENERGY RESOURCES
We have read in earlier classes that ‘energy is the capacity to do a work’. The different ways to obtain energy is through sun, fire, electricity or burning of fossil fuels. Energy is fundamental to the quality of our lives. Now-a-days, we are totally dependent on an uninterrupted and abundant supply of energy.
Electricity is generated through Thermal Power Plants, Nuclear Power Plants and Hydroelectric Power Plants. It is also produced through non-conventional sources of energy, such as tidal energy, solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy. After generation, electricity is transmitted to the grid through wires. Grid maintains the distribution of energy in the surrounding regions. As far as consumption of electricity is concerned, it is quite high in developed countries like Japan and USA. Most of the energy of the world is produced by using coal, mineral oil and natural gas. They are formed inside the earth by decomposition of dead remains of plants and animals in the sedimentary rocks. Hence, they are also called fossil fuels.
Conventional Sources of Energy
Conventional sources of energy are traditional sources, which are widely in use. The highly popular conventional sources of energy are coal, petroleum, natural gas and hydroelectricity. All the other conventional energy resources, with the exception of hydroelectricity, are non-renewable.
Let us discuss these resources in detail.
Coal: Coal is formed from the plant cover buried under the sedimentary rocks. Under the high temperature and pressure the plant cover gets carbonised over thousands of years. The major types of coal are anthracite, bituminous, lignite and peat. Anthracite is the hardest, brightest and best quality of coal. It contains about 90% carbon and emits little smoke.
Coal is widely used in iron and steel industry and thermal power stations. Moreover, it is also used as a raw material in various chemical industries. Coal is found in USA, Russia, China, Australia, India, Germany, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and South Africa. In India, Its reserves are confined to the states of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.
Petroleum/Mineral oil: it is widely used as a source of power. Petrol, diesel and kerosene oil are the by-products of Petroleum/Mineral oil. As an industrial power, it is widely used to run machines, generate electricity and produce steam. Railway engines, motor vehicles and ships depend on it for their fuel requirements. It is used as a lubricant in machines and petro-chemical industries for preparing rubber, synthetic, fibres, etc.
Do You Know ? :- Petroleum is also called black gold.
About 60% of the petroleum is obtained from the Middle East. Regions around Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf and Red Sea have the largest reserves of petroleum of the world. It is mainly obtained from south-west Asian countries. The countries with the world’s biggest oil reserves are Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Russia, Libya, Nigeria and USA.
The petroleum reservoirs beneath the North Sea are extracted and used by UK, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. In India, petroleum reserves are found in Assam, Gujarat and off the coast of Maharashtra. They are also found in the delta regions of Godavari and Krishna.
Natural gas: Natural gas is mostly obtained along with mineral oil. However, sometimes exclusive gas resources are also found. It is widely used to run vehicles as CNG (Compressed Natural Gas). Throughout the world, it is transported by pipelines over great distances. Natural gas is found in Russia, Iran, Qatar, USA, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, UAE, Venezuela and Nigeria. In India, it is found in Assam, offshore regions of Gujarat and Maharashtra and along the east coast in the Godavari and Krishna delta regions.
Thermal power: A thermal power station is a power plant in which the prime mover is steam driven. Water, on heating, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical generator to produce electrical energy. This is called thermal electricity.
Hydel power: Rain water or river water stored in dams is made to fall from heights. The falling water flows through pipes inside the dam over turbine blades placed at the bottom of the dam. The moving blades then turn the generator to produce electricity. This is called hydroelectricity. The water discharged after the generation of electricity is used for irrigation. One-fourth of the world’s electricity is produced by hydel power. The leading producers of hydel power in the world are Brazil, Norway and Paraguay.
For generating hydroelectricity, large dams are required. Hilly regions with perennial rivers are ideal for it. At the initial stage, it requires high technology and huge capital investment. But, in the long run, it becomes a cheap source of energy.
Many countries, such as Canada, China, India and Japan have developed their water resources to get electricity. African countries have a great potential for developing hydroelectricity. India has established several multipurpose river valley projects for generating hydroelectricity, Bhakra Nangal, Hirakud, Nagarjuna Sagar and Sardar Sarovar are some of the examples.