It has a high heating value, but it also has a high sulfur content. Other major coal users are the cement, food, paper, automobile, textile and plastic industries. Another important industrial use is to provide coke for iron and steel industries. Bituminous coal derivatives, or by-products can be changed into many different chemicals form which we can make paint, nylon, aspirin and many other items.
Anthracite - is the highest rank of coal which means that it has the highest heating value and highest carbon content. It is very hard, deep black, and looks almost metallic because it is brilliantly glossy. Anthracite burns longer, with more heat and with less dust and soot than other types of coal. The primary market for anthracite is for heating homes. Nearly all of the anthracite in the U. For more info on coal for your research check out the Kentucky Coal Facts Book , it has lots of information about coal from how it was formed to how it's used to make electricity.
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Unfortunately, fly ash is often stored in landfills or power plants, and can drain into groundwater. As a response to this environmental hazard, fly ash is being used as a component of concrete , thereby isolating it from the natural environment. Many countries do not regulate their coal industries as strictly as the U.
Coal Fires Under the right conditions of heat, pressure, and ventilation, coal seams can self-ignite and burn underground. Lightning and wildfires can also ignite an exposed section of the coal seam, and smoldering fire can spread along the seam. Coal fires emit tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Even if the surface fire is extinguished, the coal can smolder for years before flaring up and potentially starting a wildfire again.
Coal fires can also begin in mines as a result of an explosion. Once coal catches fire and begins smoldering, it is extremely difficult to extinguish. Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Coal is an important part of the world energy budget. It is relatively inexpensive to locate and extract, and can be found all over the world. Unlike many renewable resources such as solar or wind , coal production is not dependent on the weather. It is a baseload fuel, meaning it can be produced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, days a year.
We use and depend on many things that coal provides, such as heat and electricity to power our homes, schools, hospitals, and industries. Steel, vital for constructing bridges and other buildings, relies on coke for almost all production. Coal byproducts, such as syngas, can be used to make transportation fuels.
Coal mining also provides economic stability for millions of people worldwide. The coal industry relies on people with a wide range of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Jobs associated with coal include geologists, miners, engineers, chemists, geographers, and executives.
Coal is an industry that is critical to countries in both the developed and developing world. Disadvantages Coal is a nonrenewable source of energy. It took millions of years to form, and a finite amount of it exists on our planet. Although it is a consistent and reliable source of energy at this point in time, it will not be available forever.
Mining is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. In addition to disease, thousands of miners die every year in mine explosions, collapses, and other accidents.
Burning coal for energy releases toxins and greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. These have an immediate impact on the local air quality, and contribute to global warming , the current period of climate change. Surface mining permanently alters the landscape. In mountaintop removal, the landscape itself is obliterate d and ecosystems are destroyed. This increases erosion in the area. Floods and other natural hazards put these areas at great risk.
Coal mining can impact local water supplies in several ways. Streams may be blocked, increasing the chances for flooding. Toxins often leach into groundwater, streams, and aquifers. Coal is one of the most controversial energy sources in the world. The advantages of coal mining are economically and socially significant. However, mining devastates the environment: air, land, and water. Clean coal usually refers to the process of carbon capture, where emissions are trapped and stored underground.
Carbon Fiber Carbon fiber, used in everything from lightweight bicycles to bullet-protecting Kevlar vests, is a type of graphite, the highest rank of coal. The open-pit mine has shipped more than 1.
Top Coal Producers 1. China 2. United States 3. India 4. European Union leading producer: Germany 5. Acid rain can be manmade or occur naturally. Also called hard coal, black coal, and stone coal. Also called diesel oil and diesel fuel. Individual energy budgets are usually measured in calories. Peat can be dried and burned as fuel. Also called black carbon. Also called leavings, mine dumps, and slickens. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.
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The Industrial Revolution was the transition from creating goods by hand to using machines. Its start and end are widely debated by scholars, but the period generally spanned from about to According to some, this turning point in history is responsible for an increase in population, an increase in the standard of living, and the emergence of the capitalist economy.
Teach your students about the Industrial Revolution with these resources. However, over time, there has been a shift in demand for cheaper and cleaner fuel options, such as the nonrenewable energy source of natural gas, and renewable options like solar power and wind energy. Remaining coal reserves are even softer lignite and sub-bituminous. Moisture decreases, rank increases. Rank increases, fixed carbon increases. It is generally accepted that coal originated from plant debris including ferns, trees, bark, leaves, roots and seeds some of which accumulated and settled in swamps.
Coal Origin and Properties.
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