Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2016 March 4

= March 4 =

List of possible things that could be gained from Earth (mud, soil, etc…)
Apostle (talk) 18:08, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Carbon/emission footprint-less:
 * Free energy:


 * Your question is too broad for consideration on Ref Desk. Suggest you consult Wikipedia to get started – that is what it is for.--Aspro (talk) 18:57, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * It can be hard sometimes to even know where to start! I think mining, Clay, Soil, and Sand cover some of the bases, and Geothermal_electricity might also be of interest. SemanticMantis (talk) 22:02, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Points noted! -- Apostle (talk) 20:29, 5 March 2016 (UTC)


 * I don't understand how the phrases "Carbon/emission footprint-less" and "Free energy" relate to the question. I'm not even sure I understand the question; are you asking what things can be produced or manufactured from substances obtained from the Earth?  That's pretty much everything you see around you, isn't it?  Mnudelman (talk) 23:24, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Yeah, in a way...; you are right. -- Apostle (talk) 20:29, 5 March 2016 (UTC)


 * I think they are asking about raw materials that can be extracted from the Earth without causing pollution, in the first case, and about renewable sources of energy from the Earth (seems to exclude solar power), in the second case. StuRat (talk) 23:45, 4 March 2016 (UTC)


 * As far as "free energy", pretty much all sources of energy are "free", in that the source itself is already there, like petroleum, natural gas, coal, wood, etc. However, there is always a cost to extracting that energy.  In the case of fossil fuels, we use them up and they pollute.  Wood, while renewable, also pollutes.  Tidal, wave, and hydro power is renewable, but, like windmills, the facilities can cause problems, like blocking rivers, creating noise, blight, etc.  Geothermal energy has similar issues.  Nuclear energy could be considered to come "from the Earth", since the uranium is mined and refined, but there you have extremely expensive facilities, nuclear waste, and rare disasters. StuRat (talk) 23:51, 4 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Points noted...thanks for the simple summary. -- Apostle (talk) 20:29, 5 March 2016 (UTC)
 * I assume that "free energy" means energy without cost and not Gibbs free energy or Helmholtz free energy. Robert McClenon (talk) 16:38, 5 March 2016 (UTC)
 * -- Apostle (talk) 20:29, 5 March 2016 (UTC)

Thanks all. Happy that I've gained a basic understanding as well as something to view when I get some time. Regards. -- Apostle (talk) 20:29, 5 March 2016 (UTC)