Soha.Griffin.Fall.2010.Wiki

=__One dirty mess.__= Why this is a problem and its only getting worse. By George Soha and Kevin Griffin.

1. Before we get into how big of a problem Coal is, its best if it were to be explained first.
 * //What is Coal?//

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock composed mostly of carbon and hydrocarbons. It is found not only in the United States, but all around the world.


 * //How did Coal come about?//

Way back before even the Dinosaurs roamed the earth, there were plants that existed before them. These plants were massive, and when they died the died in swamps. Through a very long process, Mother nature took its course and buried the dead plants with water and dirt (roughly 100 million years). With the help of many years, extreme heat and pressure, the dead massive plants in the swamps turned into what we call Coal!


 * Is there only one type of Coal?


 * Of course not silly! There are plenty of different types of coal.

i. **Anthracite** contains 86-97% carbon, and generally has a heating value slightly higher than bituminous coal. It accounts for less than 0.5% of the coal mined in the United States. All Anthracite is found in Northeast Pennslyvania.

ii. **Bituminous** you could consider this one of the most original forms of coal. As this form of coal was formed under the high heat and pressure from so lon ago (100 to 300 million years ago). The most commonly found type of coal found in the United States. Its primary uses are to generate electricity, also an important fuel and raw material resource for the steel and iron industries.

iii.**Subbituminous** has a significantly lower heating level than Bituminous. Subbituminous coal typically contains 35-45% carbon. This type of coal is about the same in age about 100 millions years young. However, 46% of the coal produced in the United States is Subbituminous.

iv. **Lignite** should be conisidered "bottom of the barrell" coal.

Coal can be found mostly around the world, but the biggest coal deposits are in the United States, Russia, China, and India. There are different methods of mining coal but the most common practice is underground mining. To make this possible, they use the long wall technique. They put up timbers of wood along the mine shaft to keep the mine open and so they can continue to dig further underground to reach the coal.



Coal's main use is for electricity generation, steel production, and as liquid fuel. Different types of coal have different uses. Steam coal - also known as thermal coal - is mainly used in power generation. Coking coal - also known as metallurgical coal - is mainly used in steel production. Coal by-products are used in some chemicals like benzene.

Coal primarily is used for electricity production by means of combustion. It is crushed and fed into a furnace and boiler to heat steam which rotates turbines which turn generators and create electricity. About 40% of the world uses coal for electricity.

Coal is a fossil fuel and far more abundant than oil or gas. This also means that there is a limited supply of coal. There may be only a couple hundred years of coal left in the world.



Coal is the worst and most harmful fossil fuel to our environment, giving off huge amounts of CO2 and other toxic greenhouse gases that cause climate change and pollute the air. Alternatives to using coal must therefore be found to limit and stop the harm to our environment and stop climate change. The combustion of coal also appears to contribute to acid rain. Mining coal also affects the environment. Subsurface mining strips away land all the way until its bare. This land could have been used for farming or homes but after a coal mine is set up, it is unusable. Coal mining is also bad for aquifers. Some water that has been in contact with coal can seep into underground aquifers where we use as sources for fresh water. Noise is another factor. There are many axillary machinery that create loud noises that can be labeled harmful.

So people need to weigh out their options on coal. The advantages are coal is among the exhaustible sources of energy, coal is one of the most abundant source of energy. It is also one of the most inexpensive fossil fuel as far as power generation is concerned. The electricity produced from coal is not just enormous, but much more reliable than the other forms of energy. Unlike alternative energy sources, such as solar power and wind power, this source is not at all dependent on the weather. This source of energy can be safely stored, and hence, it is possible to make arrangements for the time of emergency. Similarly, the infrastructural requirements for processing and transportation of coal are much less difficult as compared to other fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas. There also exist two environmental advantages of coal - it tends to produce a range of bi-products when burned, which can be used for other activities, and it also tends to reduce our dependence on oil and natural gas, the sources which are getting exhausted at an alarming rate. The disadvantages are As in the case of almost all the other energy sources, even coal has some drawbacks of its own. One of the biggest disadvantage of coal is air pollution. Numerous harmful gases, including carbon dioxide, sulphuric dioxide and ash, are released in the environment when coal is burned to produce energy. In fact, it tends to emit twice as much CO2 than the other fossil fuels. Other disadvantages of coal power plants include their tendency to cause noise pollution and environmental degradation. The fact that the workers at the coal mines are exposed to all these forms of pollution makes them vulnerable to a range of ailments. The work process at these mines is also quite dangerous, and the risk of fatalities is quite high. Even though we say that the coal is one of the most abundant among the fossil fuels, it doesn't mean that the coal deposits will be there forever.

What can be done to reduce the affects coal has on the environment? One way is to reduce the quantity of pollutants resulting from coal combustion. Another way is to find alternatives to create energy rather than use coal. There is nuclear energy, wind farms, and solar power to name a few.

Coal is a fossil fuel used primarily to create electricity around the world. Although it is an abundant resource, it has negative impacts on the environment. For a better future, we should find new ways to replace coal that is cheaper and safer. Go green!!!!!!!



media type="youtube" key="hQbzRB2Dj7M?fs=1" height="385" width="480"