What is the ultimate source of energy in coal, oil, and wood?

Question

Why do we call energy from wood renewable but energy from coal and oil nonrenewable?

Answer 1

Wood is renewable because it grows back in a reasonable amount of time. Plant a seed now and in 20 or 30 years it's a tree, although not a terribly large one. Coal and oil are probably still being produced today too, but in very small quantities, and the process takes millions of years. When we run out of coal and oil, we have no way of making more.

I'm not sure what you mean by "The ultimate source," but I know the energy in all three comes from the sun. Trees turn solar energy directly into fuel, and coal and oil are the remains of ancient fossilized plants which did the same thing.

Answer 2

The source of the energy in the above resources is ultimately the carbon. It releases energy as it burns. Wood is renewable because new trees grow every day. Coal and oil are in the Earth and take thousands of years to re-form, and so aren't renewable.

Answer 3

Cos the energy of wood is rechangable and wood can be renewed also and will never extinct but oil and coal will some day...You call wood renewable cos as what I said above and oil and coil are not renewable cos the energy extracted from their use cannot be rechanged (changed to another form of energy) and It can't be reused so as an example when you use oil to cook something you can't use it again and again and so as coal. (Hope I helped).

Answer 4

A renewable source is a few thing which will by no skill run out, as an social gathering, electricity, this is going to continuously be able to cme from somewere. while a non-renewable source is a few thing that ought to finally run out, as an social gathering, petrol, petrol is made from resources which include oils which will quickly adequate run out, techniques to stay away from this happening ought to to be use a lot less petrol. because of this many organizations are beginning to invent electric powered vehicles, to stop the petrol operating out. yet another social gathering of a non renewable source is fossil fuels that are burnt as a fashion to launch and proudce coal, oils and diverse gases. Fossil fuels take tens of millions of years to style so even with the actual shown truth that more advantageous will style at the moment lets run out, to stay away from this happening a lot less ought to favor for use or subsitutes must be got here upon. wish that permits good luck x

Answer 5

The ultimate source of energy in both cases is the sun.

However, coal relies on sunlight that happened over million of years and hundreds of millions of years ago. This makes it tricky to replace.

You can grow a tree in your yard on the other hand.

Answer 6

Wood; Properly managed forests give us a renewable supply.

Dried properly (two years) and it burns cleanly and efficently.

Answer 7

the ability to oxidize (burn) the carbon trapped within it.