42
Chapter 19 – Coal This kind, not that kind
| Date post: | 13-Dec-2015 |
| Category: |
Documents |
| Upload: | malcolm-palmer |
| View: | 221 times |
| Download: | 1 times |
Chapter 19 – Coal
This kind, not that kind
Energy Sources
✤ Nonrenewable energy sources are those whose resources are being used faster than can be replenished.
✤ Coal, oil, natural gas, and uranium (nuclear)
✤ Renewable energy sources replenish themselves or are continuously present as a feature of the environment.
✤ Solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, etc.
✤ Some forms are referred to as perpetual energy
A Little Fossil Fuel Humor
How do you confuse a coal
miner?
Show him two shovels and ask him to take his
pick!
U.S. Energy Sources
✤ What percentage of our energy comes from:
✤ Coal
✤ Oil
✤ Natural gas
✤ Nuclear
✤ Solar
✤ Wind
✤ Geothermal
✤ Hydropower
Energy Sources
Energy Sources
Resources and Reserves
✤ A resource is a naturally occurring substance used by humans
✤ A reserve is a known deposit that can be economically extracted using current technology, under certain economic conditions
✤ Reserve levels change as technology advances, new discoveries are made, and economic conditions vary
Resources and Reserves
✤ Reserves are easy to get to and make money
✤ Some resources are harder to get to and will not make as much money
Example: Tar Sands
✤ Tar sands are a mixture of clay, sand, water, and an extremely dense form of petroleum
✤ Because it is difficult to extract and process, oil from tar sands used to be too expensive to produce
✤ Now, with improved technology and higher crude oil prices, tar sands are finally considered somewhat economical
Coal Formation
✤ 300 million years ago, plant material began collecting in swamps, initiating decay, forming a spongy mass of organic material
✤ Due to geological changes, some of these deposits were covered with sediment and water
✤ Pressure and heat over time transformed the organic matter into coal
Coal✤ Coal is most abundant fossil fuel
✤ Primarily used for generating electricity
✤ There are 3 categories of coal:
✤ Lignite – least desirable because of its high moisture content
✤ Bituminous – most widely used because it is most abundant and easiest to mine
✤ Anthracite – has the highest energy content and is cleanest burning, but is hard to obtain
Coal Reserves in the U.S.
anthracite
bituminous
lignite
Coal in the World
✤ Where in the world is coal found?
Coal Mining
Mountain Top Removal
Mountain Top Removal
Coal Mining Methods
Strip Mining Shovel
Strip Mining Shovel
Strip Mining Bucket
Surface Strip Mining
Strip Mining Coal Seam
Mine Gallery Size
Coal Miner
Continuous Coal Agar
What are the environmental impacts of mining coal?
Impacts of Mining Coal
✤ Mining can cause subsidence - the ground settles and disturbs the surface
At the entrance to a collapsed coal mine. The trucks and shovel are trying to open the collapsed mine opening.
Environmental Damage – Collapsed Mine
Impacts of Mining CoalMr.
Strogen, circa 2050
Impacts of Mining Coal
Acid mine
drainage
Water that comes out of mines is often highly acidic
Text
Surface-Mine Reclamation
Surface-mine reclamation. By law, after a mine has closed the land must be restored to its pre-mining conditions.
Coal Pollution - Merrimack, NH
Control & Pollution Prevention
✤ Reduce demand
✤ Use low sulfur coal
✤ Filter smoke stack smoke
✤ Filter bags
✤ Water spray
Waste Disposal & Accidents
✤ Ash and soot in landfills, radioactive materials concentrated
✤ Damage to land during mining:
✤ more with surface
✤ less with subsurface
In December, 2008 a storage lake filled with coal ash and water flooded the near by town. Kingston TN
Summary
✤ What are the pros to using coal?
✤ What are the cons to using coal?
