Alex+and+Alisa+GeoTherm

=toc= = = =COAL= By Alisa Castagno & Alex Dalby

//Did you know...// //Coal supplied the US with almost half of its energy in the year 2005?// = = =Usage= Coal power is pretty simple- as rock is burned, energy is released. This energy powers everything that we use everyday. Coal is "cheap, plentiful, and dirty". Coal can be find in 38 US States, lying under 13% of US land.



Coal is sedimentary & organic. So basically, plants and animals die off and accumulate, forming peat. Over thousands of years, this peat is compressed, creating rock with a very high carbon content (coal is 40-90% carbon). Peat can first become **lignite** (AKA "young coal") which is soft and brown. Lignite is about 40% carbon. Older coal is **subbituminous**- a small fraction of US power plants use subbituminous coal. Older coal is **bituminous**. Most power plants in the US use this type of coal, as it has high carbon and energy content. Finally, **anthracite** is almost 90% carbon. It is the hardest type of coal.

Safety
Coal mining sounds seemingly simple as well- by drilling through rock, coal can be exposed, broken apart and finally, shipped off for use in a power plant. But, the process is extremely expensive and most of all- dangerous.

There are 3 methods of underground mining. As certain areas are exposed to find coal, a moveable roof holds up the "overburden". When it is time to move to a new area, the roof is moved, and the "overburden" collapses. Miners find coal in sections, allowing the "overburden" to collapse as each area is finished. In room and pillar mining, when coal is "removed" it creates an underground "room" while some coal is left behind as a pillar- supprting the majority of the mine itself. In this type of mining, dynamite is used to loosen coal, which is then loaded onto a conveyor and finally into a large cart.
 * Panel Mining**
 * Room and Pillar Mining**
 * Continuous Mining**

Mining is dangerous. In 2004, the US reported 28 deaths as a direct result of coal mining- compared to almost 6,000 in China in 2004.

In the most basic sense, miners risk suffocation, roof collapse and gas explosions. Miners are also at risk for
 * Traumatic accidents: Rock fall, fires, equipment falls, electrocution, etc.
 * Noise induced hearing loss
 * Fatal heat stroke, heat exhaustion, spinal disorders, hand arm vibration syndrome
 * Increased risk for lung cancer, black lung as a result of coal dust
 * Exposure to methane, cyanide, and mercury
 * Skin disases as a result of chemical splashes

Environmental Effects
Although energy is an output of a coal plant, it also releases many other hazardous chemicals. Coal releases sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, arsenic, and lead in to the environment. It also uses water in a cooling process. When the water is returned to its original source, it is, on average 16 degrees hotter, raising the temperature of local bodies of water. It also alters the landscape of areas around coal mines and releases smog in to the air. It is a major contributor to acid rain.

In a study conducted by UCSUSA, a 500 watt coal power plant relases, per year
 * 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide: This causes acid rain
 * 10,200 tons of nitrogen oxide: Contributes to "smog" and acid rain
 * 3.7 MILLION tons of C02
 * 720 tons of carbon monoxide
 * Over 100,000 tons of ash
 * Over 100,000 tons of sludge
 * 225 pounds of arsenic
 * 114 pounds of lead
 * [[image:http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nBaWI2hPVZ4/S9WtnqtDOSI/AAAAAAAAAaI/Q9NpD-OHaRE/s1600/coalart.gif width="432" height="323" caption="Coal Fueled Power Plant"]]

__PROS AND CONS__
__Good...__ Coal is plentiful in the US- almost 25% of the world's known coal reserves are located in the US. It is less expensive than oil or natural gas and its price is stable. It is a versatile source of energy- it can be transformed into a liquid or a gas.

__Bad...__ It is a fossil fuel- making it non renewable. We will someday run out. It releases harmful chemicals into the environment, contributing to public health concerns and global warming. Mining as a profession is extremely dangerous. "Clean coal"- a term used to describe processes that reduce Co2 emissions in the coal process is expensive. For example, "Integrated gasification cycles" are extremely expensive.

//China and Coal...// //Did you know that China is the #1 user of coal energy in the world?// //Last year almost 70% of China's electricity was produced with coal power.// //The coal mining industry in china is the largest in the world. However, a////ccording to a CPD study, the death rate per million tons of coal mined in China is 130 times higher than it is in the US (2003).//

[|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EuuzmKEH3]
 * VIDEO:**

Sources: “The Advantages of Coal Energy.” //Fossil Fuel//. Fossil Fuel Resources, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. . “Coal.” //eia.gov//. US Energy Information Administration, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. . “Coal.” //energy.gov//. Department of Energy, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. . “Coal Energy.” //efmr.org//. EFMR, 2008. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. .