- Pros:
- Abundant
- Cheap
- Cons:
- Pollutes environment every step of the process without proper precautions
- Even with advancements not completely clean
- Nonrenewable
Coal, a source of energy which takes millions of years to form, is burned to produce energy which comes from the energy stored by the plants which, through heat and pressure, turned into coal. (1)
- There are four main types (ranked depending on percent of carbon) of coal:
- Lignite: lowest energy content and carbon percentage, tend to be from youngest coal deposits. Mainly burned at power plants to generate electricy
- Subbituminous: from coal deposits estimated to be at least 100 million years old. Higher energy content than lignite
- Bituminous: has two to three times the energy content of lignite. From deposits estimated to be between 100 and 300 million years old. Most abundant coal in US. Used to generate electricity and is important to the steel and iron industries as fuel and raw material.
- Anthracite: has a slightly lower heating value than bituminous and is very rare.
- The major uses of coal are:
- Electric power: burning coal to make steam.
- Industry: through heat and by-products to make plastics, tar, synthetic fibers, fertilizers, and medicines.
- Steel: needs baked coal, coke, to smelt iron ore into iron.
- Export: about 4% of coal mined in the US is exported, mainly destined to steel making factories. However, the amount of coal imported from other countries is growing, while exports are shrinking.
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Coal miners either use surface mining or underground mining to get at the coal. As many coal beds, in the US, are near the grounds surface, the majority of coal production comes from surface mines. This technique is less expensive than underground mining, and can be used so long as the coal is buried less than 200 feet undergound. After they expose and mine the coal, the layers above the coal are replaced and replanted so that the land can still be used. Underground mining, on the other hand, requires miners to go into deep mine shafts to run the machines. (1)
After the coal has been mined, it must be processed. Typically, this involves cleaning the coal of unwanted materials to increase its heat value. (1)The coal must then be shipped to the market, which can cost most than mining.
Without proper precautions, the coal industry can have a devestating effect on the environment. Without proper precuations, coal mining can destroy land and pollute water. Burning coal gives off carbon dioxide and produces emmissions which can pollute air and water. In recent years, the coal industry has worked to reduce the negative ways coal affects the environment, like developing clean coal that contains no sulfur and nitrogen oxides or converts the coal to a liquid or gas.
(1) Coal Energy - Energy Information Administration
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