Energy Sources and Alternative Energy Essay

Experiment 1 The Effects of Coal Mining skirt 1 pH of body of weewee SamplesWater SampleInitial pHFinal pH (24-48 hours) iron pyrite55Activated blowzy fixity57Water55POST laboratory QUESTIONS1. Develop hypotheses addressing the effect of pyrite and coal on the acidity of piss?a. Pyrite dead reckoning = If pyrite is added to piss supply, it entrust make the water to a greater extent acidic. b. Coal hypothesis = If the activated carbon is added to the water, it will make the water more(prenominal) acidic.2. Based on the results of your experiment, would you turn away or accept from each one hypothesis that you produced in heading 1? Explain how you deter exploitd this.a. Pyrite hypothesis accept/reject = The hypothesis was rejected as no change occurred in pH levels after testing the sample with a pH strip b. Coal hypothesis accept/reject = The hypothesis was rejected as the pH level rosefrom 5 to 7 after testing the sample with a pH strip, which would indicate a rise i n alkalinity.3. Based on your information, what effect do you predict coal exploit has on the environment?Answer = Based upon the data collected, there does seem to be a small effect on the environment, however, based upon knowledge of the subject, coal mining can and does have a significant adverse effect on the environment.4. What can be do to prevent mine drainage from damaging the ecosystem? Utilize at to the lowest degree one scholarly resource to support your suggestions.Answer = Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of the more serious environmental problems in the mining industry. AMD is the major pollutant of surface waters in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the get together States (US EPA, 2006). The formation of AMD is a very complex chemical and microbial process, and comm but occurs where deep excavations, such as those associated with coal mining, expose unweathered pyritic materials. Water contaminated by AMD on permitted sites where mining has occurred must be inured to re incite dissolved metals and raise pH. Millions of dollars are spent to treat this water and the interaction of these metals with each other and their removal from water are primal areas of study (US EPA 2006). Water is the basic transport for contaminants, and consequently most measures at limiting acid formation use migration control and are implicated with the control of water flow (EPA 2006). To help out local ecosystems, water entry into the site of acid formation may be controlled by 1. Diversion of surface water flowing towards the site of pollution 2. bar of groundwater infiltration into the pollution site 3. Prevention of hydrological water seepage into the abnormal areas and 4. Controlled placement of acid-generating waste. (EPA 2006).Experiment 2 Solar EnergyTable 2 Solar Energy Experiment ResultsEnvironmental Descriptor/VariableObservations(Each should be compared against direct subnlight)Weather of the DayMostly Sunny with some clouds prompt speed in direct sunl ightlightVery nimble repulse speed at 45 degree angleVery loyal drive speed under(a) reflectorsVery FastMotor speed with 25% shadedVery FastMotor speed with 50% shaded middling to fastMotor speed with 75% shadedVery SlowMotor speed under red filtrationFastMotor speed under blue filtrationFastMotor speed under green filtrationFastMotor speed under yellow filtrationFastPost-Lab Questions1. Develop hypotheses predicting the power of solar talent from direct sunlight against the 4 variables tested? signal vs indirect hypothesis = If exposed to direct sunlight, the take will move faster than indirectly exposed extend vs reflected hypothesis = If exposed to reflected sunlight, in addition to direct sunlight, the motor will move faster than only exposed directly Direct vs shaded hypothesis =Upon shading the solar panel, the more than panel is shaded, the slower themotor will move (EX. At 25% shaded the motor will go slower than in all exposed-medium, at 50% shaded, the motor will go slow, at 75% shaded the motor will go very slow Direct vs filtered hypothesis = Upon filtering the motor with the contrastive shades of cellophane, the motor will go slower2. Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept each hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you dictated this.Direct vs indirect accept/reject =Rejected. The motor was just as fast when the solar panel was set up at a 45 degree angle Direct vs reflected accept/reject = Accepted. When the foil was reflected at the solar panel, the motor travel faster. Direct vs shaded accept/reject = At 25% shading-Rejected-The motor travel just as fast as when the solar panel was exclusively exposed to sunlight. At 50%-Accepted-The motor moved slower than when the solar panel was completely exposed to sunlight (speed medium to fast) At 75%-Accepted-The motor moved very slow compared to when the solar panel was completely exposed to sunlight (Very slow) Direct vs filtered accept/reject = Rejected-Upon being cover by the red, yellow, green, and blue cellophane, the motor moved the same as in direct sunlight3. Does growingd exposure to the suns light produce more current? Explain how you know this based on your data.Answer = YES. The more exposure the solar panel had to the sun, the faster the motor moved. Through a variety of trials with the solar panel and exposure to the sun, it was determined that the more exposure the solar panel had, the faster the motor moved.4. How could you increase the electrical energy generated by a solar cell during the day, when the suns angle is constantly changing?Answer = One could increase the electricity generated by a solar cell during the day while the suns angle was constantly changing would be either to move the panels (use ones that can be adjusted) to coincide with the movement of the sun, use adjustable mirrors or other reflective devices toreflect directly on the solar cells, or both of these options.5. Based on your data, could adding filters to solar panels increase the solar energy produced? Explain how you know this.Answer = Upon the data I collected, none of the filters very INCREASED the amount of solar energy produced, so I would cite no.References.Acid Mine Drainage. (2006). EPA. Retrieved August 2, 2013, from http//water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/acid_mine.cfm