Natural resources, environmental science unit 1

1. Unit-2
Natural Resources
Unit-2
Natural Resources

2. Definition: Naturally occurring substances that are considered
valuable in their relatively unmodified form
Originally published: 1973
Subject: Economic development, Economic policy, Economics
In 1955 Schumacher travelled to Burma as an economic
consultant.
He developed the set of principles he called "Buddhist
economics", based on the belief that individuals need good
work for proper human development.
He also proclaimed that "production from local resources for
local needs is the most rational way of economic life."
He travelled throughout many Third World countries,
encouraging local governments to create self-reliant
economies.

3.  François Ramade : A resource as a form of energy or matter, which is
essential for the functioning of organisms, population and ecosystem.
 Five ecological variables are:
 1. Energy
 2. Matter
 3. Space
 4. Time
 5. Diversity

4. Classification of Natural Resources
Natural Resources
Exhaustible
Non-renewable
Ex. Coal, Petroleum,
Minerals, Natural Gas
Inexhaustible
Renewable
Ex. Water, Soil, Air,
Vegetations, Energy

5. 1. Water Resources
 Renewable resource (Hydrological cycle)
 Unique Properties of Water:
1. Water is polar.
2. Water is an excellent solvent.
3. Water has high heat capacity.
4. Water has high heat of vaporization.
5. Water has cohesive and adhesive properties.
6. Water is less dense as a solid than as a liquid.
 Uses of Water:
Irrigation, Transportation, Cleaning, Waste disposal, Coolant, Drinking…….etc.

Water shapes and regulate the life of all living organisms.

6. Storage of water:
 Under ground water:

7. Water use by humans:
1. Withdrawal water: Water collecting from ground and return to reuse.
Ex. Bathing, Washing, Cleaning…..Etc.
2. Consumption water: Water which is taken up, but not return to reuse.
Ex. Cooking, Drinking, Reactions….etc.
Water Use World India
Agriculture 70% 90%
Industries 20% 7%
Domestic 10% 3%

8. Effects of over utilization of ground water:
 Subsidence of land: Subsidence is the sudden sinking or gradual downward
settling of the ground's surface with little or no horizontal motion

9.  2. Lowering of water table:
2. Lowering of Water table

10. 3. Water logging:

11. Floods: Overflow of water
 Reasons:
 Heavy Rainfall
 Occupying Nalas or water ways
 Sudden Release of water from dams

12. ֍Reduction in carrying capacity of
rivers
֍ Accumulation of sediment in
floodway.
Defoertation
Climate change

13. Effects of floods:
Destruction of roads Filling of agricultural lands with sand, mud, waste
Submerge of villages, lands………
Extinction of civilization

14. Loss of vegetation

16. Control of floods: (Flood management)
Constructing Check dams Constructing Dams
Strengthening of flood walls
Constructing water pits..>

17. Types of droughts:

18. Droughts: Scarcity of water
Loss of crops
Scarcity of drinking water
Loss of life of animals
Crop failure
Deforestation
Pollution
Lowering of
water table

20. Drought Management:

21. Karnataka’s Ban on Planting Eucalyptus, Acacia treesa Boost
to Improving Ground Water Levels
It was the World Bank-aided project to supply firewood and timber to feed the rapidly
unfolding urbanisation back in the 1980s that ended up converting the districts of
Bengaluru Rural, Kolar and Chikkaballapur into barren lands today.

22. Big Dams: Temples of modern India – Jawaharlal Nehru

23. Advantages of dams:
• Water for drinking and industrial use:
• Irrigation and fisheries:
• Flood control:
• Hydro Power Generation:
• Inland navigation:
• Recreation:
• Local employment:

24. Problems with big dams: two types
 1. Upstream Problems:
 Displacement of people:
 Loss of forest, flora and fauna:
 Loss of agricultural lands:
 Loss of habitat:
 Migration of species:
 Stagnation and water logging:
 Microclimatic changes:
 Sedimentation in reservoirs:
 Reservoir induced seismicity(RIS):

25. 2. Down stream problems:
 Flash floods
 Reduction in water availability
 Salinity and water logging problems

26. Types of dams:
 Major Irrigation dams: 10,000 hector or 25,000 acres irrigation area
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam:
It is the largest manmade lake in the world.
816 MW
21.17 LAc.
312 TMC

27. Srisailam Dam
216 Tmc
1,670 MW

28. Priyadarshini Jurala Project 11.941 TMC
234 MW
11.65 L Ac.

29. Pulichinthala Project (K.L Rao Sagar)
46 TMC
120 MW
13000 Ac.

30. Prakasam Barrage
12 L Ac.

31. Sriram Sagar Dam (Pochampadu Dam)
90 TMC
10 L Ac.

32. Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage / Dowleswaram Barrage

33. Kaleshwaram Project:

34. Conflicts over water:
 Water conflict is a term describing a conflict between countries, states, or groups
over the rights to access water resources.
 A wide range of water conflicts appear throughout history, though rarely are
traditional wars waged over water alone.
 According to UNESCO, the current interstate conflicts occur mainly in the
Middle East.
 Euphrates and Tigris Rivers among Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.
 Jordan River conflict among Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and the State of Palestine.
 Africa - Nile River-related conflicts among Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan.
 Central Asia, the Aral Sea conflict among Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

35.  As of 2020, China has built 11 dams on the Mekong river, which flows from
China through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to the South
China Sea.
 In 1948, India and Pakistan had a dispute over the sharing of water rights to
the Indus River and its tributaries.
 The Indus Valley Treaty between JL Nehru and Ayub Khan in 1960.
 Three "eastern rivers" — the Beas, Ravi and Sutlej - to India,
 Three "western rivers" — the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum - to Pakistan.


37. Inter state conflicts:

38. 1. Energy Resources:
 The capacity to do work
 Total energy = All available forms
 Units: Calorie , K. Cal. Joule (J): K.J., M.J. Volt (V), eV
Watt (Electric). KW, KWh, MW. Ergs.
 Devolopment = Electrcity consumtion

39. Types of energy resources
Reneable /
Non- conventional /
Non-traditional
Ex. Solar energy, wind
energy,
Hydal energy, Tidal
energy,
Geotharmal energy,
Ocean thermal energy,
Biomass enegy
Non-Reneable /
Conventional /
Traditional
Ex. Pertrolium,
Coal, Natural Gas

40. 1. Coal: Type of
coal
% of
carnon Avilability in India
Anthracite > 90% Jammu & Kashmir,
Bituminus > 80% Maharastra, Telangana, Jharkand,
Chattishghad, Madya Pradesh, West
Bengal.
Lignite > 70% Tamilnadu, Himachal Pradesh,
Assam, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir.
Peat > 60%
1. Coal
These reserves are lost in next 200 years at present rate of use
If rate of consumption increases by 2% per year, it lost in just next 65 years

41. Thermal Energy: Energy produced by burning coal.
 Thermal Energy used in production of electricity in thermal power plants.

42. TPS Blue print

43.  There are different types of thermal power plants based on the fuel used to
generate the steam such as coal, gas, and diesel, natural gas.
 About 61% of electricity consumed in India is generated by thermal power plants.
Sector
Thermal Energy (MW)
Coal Gas Disel Total
All India 2,06,124 24,956 510 2,31,590
Percentage 54.92 6.65 0.14 61.70
Sector Nuclear power
(MW)
Hydro Power
(MW)
Renewable
energy (MW)
Total (MW)
All India 6,780 45,798 91,154 3,75,323
Percentage 1.81 12.20 24.29 100

44. 2. Petroleum(Crude oil):
Extracted from depth of the ground
Fractional Distillation of crude oil
Exhausted in next 40 Years

46.  The top six largest coal-producing countries in the world
1. China – 3.7 billion tonnes. ...
2. India – 783 million tonnes. ...
3. United States – 640 million tonnes. ...
4. Indonesia – 616 million tonnes. ...
5. Australia – 550 million tonnes. ...
6. Russia – 430 million tonnes.
 The top five largest oil producing countries in the world
1. United States
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Russia
4. Canada
5. China

47. 3. Natural Gas (CH4):
 Natural gas is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting
primarily of methane, but commonly including varying amounts of other
higher alkanes, and sometimes a small percentage of CO2, N2, H2S or
He.
 The top six largest oil producing countries in the world:
1. United States
2. Russia
3. Iran
4. Qatar
5. Canada
6. China

48.  Other gaseous sources:
 CNG: Compressed Natural Gas:
 SNG: Synthetic Natural Gas:
 CO + H2
 LPG: Liquified Petroleum Gas:
 Butane + Propane =95%
 Ehane + Methane =5%

49. 4. Nuclear Energy:
 Nuclear energy is the energy in the nucleus, or core, of an atom.
 Nuclear energy can be used to create electricity, but it must first be released from
the atom.
 In the process of nuclear fission, atoms are split to release that energy.
 A nuclear reactor is a series of machines that can control nuclear fission to
produce electricity.
 The fuel that nuclear reactors use to produce nuclear fission is pellets of the
element uranium.
 In a nuclear reactor, atoms of uranium are forced to break apart.
 As they split, the atoms release tiny particles called fission products.
 Fission products cause other uranium atoms to split, starting a chain reaction.

51. Nuclear Power Plant

55.  In World:
 As of April 2020, there are 440 operable power reactors in the world, with a
combined electrical capacity of 390 GW.
 Additionally, there are 55 reactors under construction with capacity of 63 GW.
 109 reactors planned with capacity of 118 GW.
 329 more reactors are proposed.
 In India:
 India had 21 nuclear power plants with a combine installed capacity of 7480
MW.
 Which is equal to 2% of india’s electricity production.
 Another 7 power plants under construction with 6000 MW capacity.
 Additionally 11 nuclear plants to be in proposal with 33000 MW capacity.

56. Power Plant Location Operator
Number x
capacity
Total Capacity
(MW)
Kaiga Karnataka NPCIL 4 x 220 880
Kakrapar Gujarat NPCIL
2 x 220
1 x 700
1,140
Kudankulam Tamil Nadu NPCIL 2 x 2000 2,000
Madras
(Kalpakkam)
Tamil Nadu NPCIL 2 x 220 440
Narora Uttar Pradesh NPCIL 2 x 220 440
Rajasthan Rajasthan NPCIL
1 x100
1x 200
4 x 220
1,180
Tarapur Maharashtra NPCIL
2 x 160
2 x 540
1,400
Total (23) 7,480
Nuclear Power Plants in India 2021- Operational

58. Disadvantages of non renewable energy resources:
• It produces greenhouse gases.
• Its by products cause damage to the environment.
• Once exhausted they are not easily replenished.
• Rising cost.
• Its residual products are generally non-biodegradable.
• Its products pose potential threat to human health.
• Responsible for acid rain.
• Occupational health hazards.

59. •Chernobyl Accident 1986:
•The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was
operated with inadequately trained personnel.
•The resulting steam explosion and fires released at least 5% of the radioactive
reactor core into the environment, with the deposition of radioactive materials in
many parts of Europe.
•Two Chernobyl plant workers died due to the explosion on the night of the
accident, and a further 28 people died within a few weeks as a result of acute
radiation syndrome.
•Some 350,000 people were evacuated as a result of the accident, but resettlement
of areas from which people were relocated is ongoing.
The April 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was the
product of a flawed Soviet reactor design coupled with serious mistakes made by
the plant operators.

61. Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster: The accident was triggered by the earthquake
and tsunami on Friday, 11 March 2011.

62. Renewable Energy Resources:
 A renewable resource is a natural resource which will replenish to replace
the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural
reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of time in a
human time scale.
Source Solar power Wind Power Biomass
energy
Small Hydro
power
Waste to
energy
Total
Capacity
(MW)
37465 38624 10,146 4,750 169 91,154
Percentage 41.1 42.37 11.13 0.05 0.001 100

63. 1. Solar Energy
 https://youtu.be/bPwvS5V5RW4

65.  Pilgrims visiting the shrine of 19th century saint Sai Baba in
Shridi, India have a new reason to stick around: The world's
largest solar cooker.
 The $280,000 system, partially paid for by the Indian
government, generates 3,500 kg of steam every day, or enough
to make food for 20,000 people
T T D solar cooker

66.  The Bhadla Solar Park, which is the largest solar power plant in the world,
is based in Bhadla village, in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district.
 Spanning 14,000 acres, the fully operational power plant has been
installed with a capacity of 2,250MW.
 The huge solar power plant was developed by multiple entities, such as
Rajasthan Solar Park Development Company Limited, Saurya Urja
Company, and Adani Renewable Energy Park Rajasthan.
 Rajasthan’s current solar power consumption is 10% of the state’s total
power usage.
World largest solar power plant - Rajasthan

67.  Top 5 countries by cumulative solar PV capacity in 2019
 China: 204,700 MW (32.6%)
 United States: 75,900 MW (12.1%)
 Japan: 63,000 MW (10.0%)
 Germany: 49,200 MW (7.8%)
 India: 42,800 MW (6.8%)
 Top five states for solar power production in India
1. Karnataka — 7,100MW.
2. Telangana — 5,000MW. ...
3. Rajasthan — 4,400MW. ...
4. Andhra Pradesh — 3,470MW. ...
5. Gujarat — 2,654MW.

68. Wind Energy:
 Moving air is called “WIND”
 The driving force of the wind is the “SUN”
 The wind energy is harnessed by making use of “WIND MILL”
 Each wind mill consist – Blades, Dinamo, Battery.
 Large number of wind mills are installed in cluster is called
WIND FARM
 Minimum wind speed required is 15 KMPH
 Coastal areas , Hilly areas, Grass lands are suitable for
arranging wind mill.
Wind Farm

70.  Top five countries with the highest wind energy capacity in 2020
1. China – 288.32 GW. ...
2. United States – 122.32 GW. ...
3. Germany – 62.85 GW. ...
4. India – 38.63 GW. ...
5. Spain – 27.24 GW.
 Top five states for wind power production in India
1. Tamilnadu — 9,075 MW.
2. Gujarat — 7,855 MW. ...
3. Maharashtra — 4,781 MW. ...
4. Karnataka— 4,779 MW. ...
5. Rajasthan — 4,292 MW.

71. Hydropower:

72.  The top 5 countries ranked by installed hydropower capacity are:
• China (356.4GW)
• Brazil (109.06GW)
• United States (102.75GW)
• Canada (81.39GW)
• India (50.07GW)
 Top five states for hydal power production in India
1. Himachal Pradesh – 9,809 MW
2. Uttarakhand – 3,756 MW
3. Karnataka— 3,644 MW. ...
4. Maharashtra — 3,047 MW. ...

73. Tidal Energy:
 Tidal energy is power produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and
fall of tides.
 During the 20th century, engineers developed ways to use tidal movement
to generate electricity in areas where there is a significant tidal range—the
difference in area between high tide and low tide.
 All methods use special generators to convert tidal energy into electricity.
 The amount of power produced so far has been small.
 The first was located in France. The largest facility is the South Korea.
 China, France, England, Canada, and Russia have much more potential to use
this type of energy.

74. According to the estimates of the Indian government, the
country has a potential of 8,000 MW of tidal energy.
This includes about 7,000 MW in the Gulf of Cambay in
Gujarat,1,200 MW in the Gulf of Kutch and
100 MW in the Gangetic delta in the Sunderbans region of
West Bengal.

75. Geothermal Energy:
 Geothermal energy is the thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth.
 Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter.
 The geothermal energy of the Earth's crust originates from the original formation
of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials.
 Italy, New Zealand, USA, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia are some of the
countries which are using geothermal energy for electricity generation and
thermal applications.
 The GSI (Geological Survey of India) has identified 350 geothermal energy
locations in the country. The most promising of these is in Puga valley of Ladakh.
The estimated potential for geothermal energy in India is about 10000 MW.

78. Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC)
 Energy from the sun heats the surface water of the ocean.
 In tropical regions, surface water can be much warmer than deep water.
 This temperature difference can be used to produce electricity and to desalinate
ocean water.
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) systems use a temperature difference
(of at least 77° Fahrenheit) to power a turbine to produce electricity.
 Warm surface water is pumped through an evaporator containing a working fluid.
The vaporized fluid drives a turbine/generator.
 The vaporized fluid is turned back to a liquid in a condenser cooled with cold
ocean water pumped from deeper in the ocean.
 OTEC systems using seawater as the working fluid can use the condensed water
to produce desalinated water

81. Biomass energy:
 Biomass contains stored chemical energy from the sun.
 Plants produce biomass through photosynthesis.
 Biomass can be burned directly for heat or converted to renewable liquid and
gaseous fuels through various processes.
 Biomass sources for energy include:

84.  Converting biomass to energy
 Biomass is converted to energy through various processes, including
1. Direct combustion (burning) to produce heat
2. Thermochemical conversion to produce solid, gaseous, and liquid fuels
3. Chemical conversion to produce liquid fuels
4. Biological conversion to produce liquid and gaseous fuels
 1. Direct combustion is the most common method for converting biomass to
useful energy.
 All biomass can be burned directly for heating buildings and water,
 for industrial process heat, and
 for generating electricity in steam turbines.

85. 2. Thermochemical conversion of biomass :
2a. Pyrolysis entails heating organic materials to 400–500 oC in the near complete
absence of free oxygen.
Biomass pyrolysis produces fuels such as charcoal, bio-oil, renewable diesel,
methane, and hydrogen.
2b. Gasification entails heating organic materials to 800–900oC with injections of
controlled amounts of free oxygen and/or steam into the vessel to produce a CO and
H2 gas called synthesis gas or syngas.
Syngas can be used as a fuel for diesel engines, for heating, and for generating
electricity in gas turbines.
They mainly differ in the process temperatures and amount of oxygen present
during the conversion process.

86. 3. A chemical conversion process known as transesterification is used for
converting vegetable oils, animal fats, and greases into fatty acid methyl esters
(FAME), which are used to produce biodiesel.
 4. Biological conversion includes fermentation to convert biomass
into ethanol and anaerobic digestion to produce renewable natural gas.
 Ethanol is used as a vehicle fuel.

89.  Biomass has significant potential to boost energy supplies in populous nations
with rising demand, such as Brazil, India and China.
 Brazil is the leader in liquid biofuels and has the largest fleet of flexible-fuel
vehicles, which can run on bioethanol
 In India,
 a total capacity of 10145 MW has been installed in Biomass Power and
Cogeneration Sector.
 Installed Capacity of Biomass – 1826 MW
 Installed Capacity of Bagasse Cogeneration – 7547 MW
 Installed Capacity of Non-Bagasse Cogeneration - 772 MW
 Telangana has substantial availability of Biomass / Agro waste in the state is
sufficient to produce about 350 MW of electricity.

92. Mineral resources:
 Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic crystalline solids having a definite
chemical composition and characteristic physical properties.
 Mineral resources are the key material basis for socio-economic development.
 More than two-thousand minerals have been identified and most of these are
inorganic, which are formed by the various combination of elements.
Minerals
Metallic
Ferrous
(Iron ore)
Nonferrous
( All other metals)
Nonmetallic
Coal, Petroleum,
Natural gas.

94. Minerals
Critical minerals
(Essential for the
economy of a country)
Fe, Al, Cu, Ag, Au,
Dimond's, Stones..
Strategic Minerals
( Required for the
defense of a country)
Mn, Co, Pt, Cr, Ir,
Ni, W …
Energy generating
minerals
Coal, petroleum,
Natural gas,
Radioactive metals

95. Uses of minerals:
 Raw materials for various industries: Ex. Fe, Cu, Al, Zn…etc
 Developmental activities such as construction, Railways, Roads, Bridges.
 Establishment of industries and machinery
 Generation of electricity: Ex. Coal, Diesel, U, Th, Pu…..etc.
 Defense equipment:
 Transportation Vehicles…
 Communication equipment: Optical fiber,
 Medical equipment and medicines: AYUSH
 Formation of alloys:
 Agricultural fertilizers and pesticides:
 Jewelry: Au, Ag, Pt, Cu, Diamonds, Stones, Gems.…..etc.
 Non metallic minerals such as Mica, silica…..

96. Mining: Extraction of metals and nonmetal from earth crust.
Mining operations generally progress through four stages:
(1) Prospecting: Searching for minerals.
(2) Exploration: Assessing the size, shape, location, and economic value of the
deposit.
(3) Development: Work of preparing access to the deposit so that the minerals
can be extracted from it.
(4) Exploitation: Extracting the minerals from the mines.
Mining
Surface mining
Extraction of
metals from
overground
Subsurface
mining
Extraction of
metals from
underground

105.  Impacts of mining on environment:
Deforestation
Soil errosion

106. Air pollution Water pollution

109. Top 10 Ways to Make Mines More Environmentally Friendly
• Closing illegal and unregulated mines. ...
• Scrap mining and recycling. ...
• Better legislation and regulations. ...
• Improving environmental performance. ...
• Accurate tallying of toxic mining waste. ...
• Building from reusable waste. ...
• Closing and reclaiming sites of shut-down mines. ...
• Investing in research and development of Green Mining Technology.
• Improving the efficiency of manufacturing processes

110. Forest Resources: https://slideplayer.com/slide/8974324/

111. Uses of the forest:
 1. Commercial Use:
 Forests are main source of many commercial products such as wood, timber,
pulpwood etc.
 Forest can provide food , fibre, edible oils and drugs.
 Forest lands are also used for agriculture and grazing.
 Forest is important source of development of dams, recreation and mining.
 2. Life and economy of tribal:
 3. Ecological uses:
 4. Aesthetic values:


112. Deforestation:
 Forests contribute substantially to the national economy.
 With increasing population increased demand of fuel wood, expansion of area under
urban development and industries has lead to over exploitation of forest .
 At present international level we are losing forest at the rate of 1.7 crore hectares
annually.
 Overexploitation also occurs due to overgrazing and conversion of forest to pastures for
domestic use.
 Forest are burned or cut for clearing of land for agriculture ,harvesting for wood and
timber , development and expansion of cities .These economic gains are short term
where as long term effects of deforestation are irreversible
 Deforestation rate is relatively low in temperate countries than in tropics If present rate
of deforestation continues we may losses 90% tropical forest in coming six decades
 For ecological balance 33% area should be under forest cover but our nation has only
20.6% forest cover.

113. Causes of deforestation:
 a) Shifting cultivation :
 b) Commercial logging :
 c) Need for fuel wood :
 d) Expansion for agribusiness :
 e) Development projects and growing need for food :
 f) Raw materials for industrial use :
 h) Soil erosion and loss of soil fertility :
 i) Decrease of rain fall due to affect of hydrological cycle :


114. Effects of deforestation:
 Expansion of deserts
 Climate change and depletion of water table
 Loss of biodiversity ,flora and fauna
 Environmental changes and disturbance in forest ecosystems

115. Forest conservation and management
1. Conservation of forest is a national problem, thus it should be tackled with
perfect coordination between concerned government departments.
2. People should be made aware of importance of forest and involved in forest
conservation activities.
3. The cutting of trees in the forests for timber should be stopped.
4. A forestation programmes should be launched
5. Grasslands should be regenerated.
6. Forest conservation Act should be strictly implemented to check deforestation.
7. Awards should be instituted for the deserving.

116. 5. Land Resources
 Land is a naturally occurring finite resource.
 It provides the base for survival of living beings.
 It holds everything that constitutes terrestrial ecosystems.
 Increased demand on land in modern times due to the rise in human population
and resultant activities has resulted in degradation of land quality and quantity,
decline in crop production, and competition for land.

141. Deforestation
Drought
Desert