Definitions :

natural resources:
Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are considered valuable in their relatively
unmodified (natural) form. A natural resource's value rests in the amount of the material available and the
demand for it. The latter is determined by its usefulness to production. A commodity is generally
considered a natural resource when the primary activities associated with it are extraction and
purification, as opposed to creation. Thus, mining, petroleum extraction, fishing, hunting, and forestry are
generally considered natural-resource industries, while agriculture is not. The term was introduced to a
broad audience by E.F. Schumacher in his 1970s book Small is Beautiful

ambient temperature:
Room temperature is a common term to denote a certain temperature within enclosed space at which
human beings are accustomed. Room temperature is thus often indicated by general human comfort, with
the common range of 18�C (64�F) to 23�C (73�F), though climate may acclimatise people to higher
or lower temperatures.

lithosphere:
The lithosphere is the solid outermost shell of a rocky planet. On the Earth, the lithosphere includes the
crust and the uppermost mantle which is joined to the crust across the Mohorovi

hydrosphere:
A hydrosphere in physical geography describes the collective mass of water found on, under, and over
the surface of a planet.

atmosphere:
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass. The gases are
attracted by the gravity of the body, and are retained for a longer duration if gravity is high and the
atmosphere's temperature is low. Some planets consist mainly of various gases, and therefore have very
deep atmospheres (see gas giants).

biosphere:
The biosphere is the part of the earth, including air, land, surface rocks, and water, within which life
occurs, and which biotic processes in turn alter or transform. From the broadest biophysiological point of
view, the biosphere is the global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships,
including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. This
biosphere is postulated to have evolved, beginning through a process of biogenesis or biopoesis, at least
some 3.5 billion years ago.

biotic component:
Biotic factors are, in entirety, anything that affects a living organism that is itself alive. Such things include
animals which consume the organism in question, or the food that the organism consumes. As opposed
to abiotic factors (non-living components of an organism's environment, such as temperature, light,
moisture, air currents, etc.), biotic factors are the living components of an organisms environment, such
as predators and prey.

abiotic component:
abiotic components are non-living chemical and physical factors in the environment. These may be
classified as light, temperature, water, atmospheric gases, and wind as well as soil, animals, and human
beings (edaphic) and physiographic (nature of land surface) factors. The six major abiotic factors are
water, sunlight, oxygen, temperature, soil and climate.

combustion:
Combustion or burning is a complex sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an
oxidant accompanied by the production of heat or both heat and light in the form of either a glow or
flames.

evaporation:
Evaporation is the process by which molecules in a liquid state (e.g. water) spontaneously become
gaseous (e.g. water vapor). It is the opposite of condensation. Generally, evaporation can be seen by the
gradual disappearance of a liquid, when exposed to a significant volume of gas.

condensation:
Condensation is the change in matter of a substance to a denser phase, such as a gas (or vapor) to a
liquid. Condensation commonly occurs when a vapor is cooled to a liquid, but can also occur if a vapor is
compressed (i.e., pressure on it increased) into a liquid, or undergoes a combination of cooling and
compression. Liquid which has been condensed from a vapor is called condensate. A device or unit used
to condense vapors into liquid is called a condenser. Condensers are used in heat exchangers which
have various designs, and come in many sizes ranging from rather small (hand-held) to very large.

hydrocarbon:
a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. With relation to
chemical terminology, aromatic hydrocarbons or arenes, alkanes, alkenes and alkyne-based compounds
composed entirely of carbon or hydrogen are referred to as "Pure" hydrocarbons, whereas other
hydrocarbons with bonded compounds or impurities of sulphur or nitrogen, are referred to as "impure",
and remain somewhat erroneously referred to as hydrocarbons.

pollutant:
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that cause harm to human health, other
living organisms, and the environment. Pollution can be in the form of chemical substances, or energy
such as noise, heat, or light. Pollutants can be naturally occurring substances or energies, but are
considered contaminants when in excess of natural levels. Pollution is often categorized into point source
an nonpoint source pollution.