ENERGY RESOURCE: COAL

COAL

• A combustible black/dark brown rock consisting mainly of carbonized plant matter
• It's a Non-Renewable Resource cause it takes billions of years to form
• There are 4 types of Coal: Anthracite (Hard, Brittle, & Lustrously Black), Bituminous (Shiny & Smooth with Layers), Sublituminous (Black & Dull), and Lignite (Brown)
• Coal (above in order of ranking) is ranked by scientists by quality and color

COAL CONTINUED

• It's formed in 3 steps: 1) Giant plants died in swamps. 2) Plants were buried under water & dirt. 3) Heat & Pressure turned them into Coal
• Unlike ranking, the type of Coal you find is lowest to highest rank, because the deeper down in the crust you go, the darker the coal

HISTORY OF COAL

• Coal has been used as far back as the Cave men who used it for Heating food
• Romans also used it in 100-200 AD
• 1300s Hopi Indians made use of Coal for heating
• Coal was even around during the Industrial Revolution for heat to power ships, trains, and steam engines
• It wasn't until the 1880s that coal was first used for Electricity

MINING

• Longwall Mining: A rotating blade shears coal from underground seam
• Surface Mining: (Most Common) Remove layers of Earth's crust & materials to expose coal
• Underground Mining: Vertical/Slanted Holes (Shafts) are cut down for ventilation and transports, Main uses are Drift, Shaft, & Slope

ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY

• Longwall Mining is one of the newest types of Mining as it allows technology to take over drilling and cutting
• Faster and Easier as humans just monitor belts and trucks of coal for shipments and transports
• Shafts are now used more often because it allows easier transportation with help from technology
• Shafts also give humans a "safer" work place because it gives ventilation for cleaner air and more convenient to more in and out of mines
• Humans now have made pipelines to send coal to industrial users with the use of Slurry- Crushed coal mixed with water or oil

USES OF COAL

• Bituminous Coal (Heat Energy) gives off steam, when heated up, that spins turbines to power generators and engines
• This method is used by Trains🚂, Steamships🚢, & Steam-Powered Railroads🚞
• Sublituminous Coal is also used in homes, mostly older, as heat for Homes & Buildings
• In the past, Anthracite coal was used to start fires to heat food for early civilizations
• Through the use of newer technology, Anthracite, Bituminous, sometimes Sublituminous Coal, are now used for Synthetic or Synfuels

ENERGY USAGES

• Coal accounts for about 16% of the U.S.'s Total Energy Consumption
• However, the Electrical Power Sector used 91% of coal as their main energy source, with 33% being used for Electricity
• Industries such as Steel making, Concrete, & Paper companies used 9% of coal for their energy
• Commercial uses such as homes or large buildings used 1% of coal for energy (Heat)

WHERE IS COAL LOCATED?

• Coal is found worldwide as 70 countries has been known to have coal reserves
• The highest reserves come from the U.S; Highest in the world is the Powder River Basin in Wyoming
• Top 5 states that use Coal for Electricity are: Wyoming (42%), West Virginia (11%), Kentucky (7%), Illinois (6%), & Pennsylvania (6%)

PROBLEMS WITH COAL

• Coal is sadly the biggest contributor to Air Pollution worldwide- Trains and Steamships are the daily because they're constantly traveling
• It generates wastes such as ash, sludge, & other toxic chemicals
• The formation of coal takes an extremely long time because it's a fossil fuel made form the remains of dead carbonized matter

GAINS WITH COAL

• Coal is nearly found all over the world, all 4 types, just depends on how far in the ground you go to determine which type you get
• It's the most used fossil fuel because it's used for heat, electricity, engine/generator power, and even steel for construction use
• All types of coal can be stored away in case of emergency
• Coal is actually resistant to weathering
• Coal is the most convenient and useful than any other fossil fuels

IMPORTS & EXPORTS

• The U.S. is a Net Exporter- The country exports more than we import
• This is due to the huge reserves we have in the country, far more than anyone else
• The three main exporters are: Brazil, The Netherlands, & South Korea; However, studies have shown their percentage of import have each dropped more than 10%
• The U.S. three main importers are: Colombia, Indonesia, & Canada

HEALTH RISKS

• The main health concern dealing with Coal is the Black Lung Disease
• Workers in the mines, who are constantly underground breath in that air full of crushes of coal and it gets in their lungs turning it black over time
• Coal has also been known to affect the Respiratory & Cardiovascular & Nervous systems (Tied to Black Lung Disease)
• Mining for coal is very dangerous for workers as about 20 people have died every year since 2011, where as in the 1930s nearly 230 died a year
• Recent studies have shown that being exposed or breathing on coal can hurt a humans intelligence at a young age

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

• Surface Mining is criticized heavily because it involves Mountaintop cutting
• Mining in general hurts the environment with pollution, but also alters the landscape= Animals lose homes, and natural cycles are halted
• Coal releases lots of Carbon Dioxide into the Air which results in the increase of the Greenhouse effect which contributes to Global Warming

INTERESTING FACTS

• There's actually a 5th type of Coal called Peat- Brown, soil-like, boggy, acid ground, consisting of partly decomposed vegetable matter (Very similar to Lignite)
• Anthracite & Bituminous Coal are used to make Coal Coke which produces Steel, this makes it more strong & flexible
• It's been proven that there are 892 Billion Tonnes of Coal reserves worldwide which is equal to 983261689344.554 tons
• The North Antelope Rochelle coal reserve has the best quality & cleanest coal