fossil fuels iii coal. should the use of coal in america be expanded? 1.yes 2.no
TRANSCRIPT
FOSSIL FUELS III
Coal
Should the use of coal in America be expanded?
1 2
0%0%
1. Yes2. No
• Formed from ancient plants.• Coal beds were prehistoric swamps.• Can be considered to be “stored” solar energy.• Photosynthesis:CO2 + H20 + solar energy carbohydrates + O2
We can also run the process backwards and burn carbs to get energy, water and carbondioxide.
• Normally when a plant dies it decomposes.• If there is not enough Oxygen, it can’t
completely decompose, thus we get a slow accumulation of energy.
• In a swamp, the bacteria that decompose the plants also use up the Oxygen.
• Coal found today formed between 1 and 440 million years ago.
• Steps to becoming coal:• Peat• Lignite• Subbituminous• Bituminous• Anthracite
• The major difference is the percentage of the coal that is Carbon. Higher Carbon concentration means better quality coal. (in general)
• Coal progresses through the stages with increase pressure and temperature.
TypeType % Carbon% Carbon Energy Content Energy Content (Btu/lb)(Btu/lb)
LigniteLignite 3030 5000-70005000-7000
SubbituminousSubbituminous 4040 8000-100008000-10000
BituminousBituminous 50-7050-70 11000-1500011000-15000
AnthraciteAnthracite 9090 1400014000
• The largest amount of US coal is Bituminous.• Approximately 1% is Anthracite. (Found in
Pennsylvania.)• Many coal veins have a high sulfur content.– Significant contributor to acid rain.– S+O2SO2
– SO2 combines with water in atmosphere to form sulfuric acid.
– Limits the use of those coals (some progress is being made in technology to use high sulfur coal)
Coal Mining
• Coal veins can be 1in to 400 ft thick.• Must be at least 2 ft thick to make mining
profitable.• Two basic ways to get to it– Tunnels (deep reserves) (40%)– Strip mining (near surface) (60%)
Tunnel MiningTunnel Mining Video
Strip Mining
Mountain Top Removalvideo
Should mountain top removal be removed?
1 2
0%0%
1. Yes2. No
US Coal Reserves by Type
Coal Reserves Sulfur Content
World Coal Reserves
TOTAL (million tonnes (teragrams)
0 50000 100000 150000 200000 250000
United States
Russia
China
India
Australia
South Africa
Ukraine
Kazakhstan
Poland
Brazil
Proved Coal Reserves (2006)
Coal Production
million tonnes0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
China
USA
India
Australia
Russia
South Africa
Germany
Indonesia
Poland
Total World
Production of Coal 2006
A thick shroud of haze lingers over China, turning the sky an opaque grey. Beijing, China's capital, is situated under the densest portion of the smog layer. The aerosol pollution can be seen blowing eastward across the Bo Hai Bay and Yellow Sea reaching as far as North and South Korea and the islands of Japan. (NASA)
Coal Consumption
Mix of Fuels in US
US Coal Production
Expected Life of Reserves0 100 200 300 400 500 600
China
USA
India
Australia
Russia
South Africa
Germany
Indonesia
Poland
Total World
Production of Coal 2006
• Estimated that we have enough reserves for 200-300 years at current production rates.
• Use may be expanded– Replace aging oil/natural gas/nuclear electric
plants– More demand for electrical energy– Alternative uses such as coal gasification.
Coal Gasification
• Coal gasification can be used to produce syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) gas. This syngas can then be converted into transportation fuels like gasoline and diesel. Alternatively, the hydrogen obtained from gasification can be used for various purposes such as powering a hydrogen economy, making ammonia, or upgrading fossil fuels.
Adverse Effects of Coal• Millions of tons of waste products• Acid rain from high sulfur coal• Interference with groundwater• Impact of water use on flows of rivers and consequential impact
on other land-uses• Coal-fired power plants without effective fly ash capture are one
of the largest sources of human-caused background radiation exposure
• Coal-fired power plants shorten nearly 24,000 lives a year in the United States, including 2,800 from lung cancer[44]
• Coal is the largest contributor to the human-made increase of CO2 in the air[46]
Should the use of coal in America be expanded?
1 2
77%
23%
1. Yes2. No