Coal Notes
Renewable resources: Resources replaced as they used
Ex.
Nonrenewable Resources: Resources that have a limited supply
Ex.
Fossil Fuels: Forms of stored energy that are remains of living things made primarily of carbon and hydrogen through
the process of carbonization.
Ex.
Carbonization:
Coal: decomposed ___________ which is turned into solid brittle rock when it is compressed over a long period of time.
- _____-____ ft. of decomposed plant material is compressed to create ____ foot of coal
- ___________ abundant fossil fuel
- Less than ___________ the price per million BTU than oil and natural gas
- One lb. of coal can power _______ 100 watt light bulbs for an hour
- Should last for about _______ years at the current rate of use
- Use ___________ during the 40’s-50’s because oil and gas were easier to use
- Use has been ___________ since the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973
- It is now used mainly for the generation of ___________
- In 1997 it was responsible for _______ % of the nation’s energy consumption
- Mostly transported by train or barge
- China is the major producer and the U.S. is second
Problems with coal
- Contains _______ causing air pollution when burned, makes _______ _______
- High amounts of air pollution (CO2 and SO2) are given off by coal power plants
- Causes _______ air pollution when burned than any other _______ _______
- Mining causes land and water pollution (see mining notes)
Types of Coal: Using pg. 436 describe each of the following fuels
Peat

Lignite

Subbituminous

Bituminous

Anthracite
Coke:
Coal Mining:
- Underground mining: dangerous, collapsed mines, fires, gas explosions, and black lung
- Black Lung:
- _______ _______: the overlying layer of rock is stripped to get to the coal from the surface…
Problems with strip mining
- Less than one-half of the mines have been __________ (restored to their natural state)
- __________ __________ __________ is when water reacts with mineral in the open mine forming highly acidic water
pollution the environment killing aquatic organisms and waterfowl
Solutions to coal use
- __________ __________ and __________ Act of 1977 requires that mined land be restored to its primary use (forest,
field, etc.)
- __________ __________ Act of 1990 forces companies to reduce the emissions (release) of SO2 and NO2 when
burning coal
- __________ coal in this country is coming form the mid-west instead of the east because it contains less sulfur
- New technologies are being invented to __________ air pollutants from coal (scrubber - sprays the gas with lime or
calcium water binding the SO2, causing it to settle out – expensive process to install)
*Using natural gas is cleaner because it releases __________ the CO2 and SO2 of coal.
Synthetic Fuels: Fuels produced by chemically changing fossil fuels like coal. They are cleaner burning
Liquid Coal –
Coal gas –
Oil Shale –
***These processes are expensive and require a lot of water. The production process is very dirty.
***These fuels are not yet a major energy source