Coal: Not Just a Black Rock Melville, Alyssa Nguyen, Thaomy Samson, Carole

What is Coal? A solid fossil fuel Consists of plant remains from millions of years ago that was subjected to immense heat and pressure Elemental components: carbon, hydrogen, sulfur, and small amounts of mercury Types of coal: Anthracite (86-97% carbon) Bituminous (45-86% carbon) Subbituminous (35-45% carbon) Lignite (25-35% carbon)

Source Coal beds or seams are found in underground reserves or within mountains. Coal is formed along water sources so can be found in areas that are swampy or used to be a wetland. Coal is found under layers of sandstone, shale, and limestone.

Top 10 Hard Coal Producers in 2010 People’s Republic of China United States of America India Australia South Africa Russia Indonesia Kazakhstan Poland Columbia This is Indonesia's flag  This is Poland’s flag 

Coal Production Within the U.S.

Current Proven Coal Reserves For interactive map: http://chartsbin.com/view/n1n

Efficiency and Cost The average efficiency of all coal power stations around the world is 31%. The total cost of extraction and combustion of coal in the U.S. is $120 billion a year. In a year, coal results in $74.6 billion in health costs. Consequences of air pollutant emission causes $187.5 billion. Coal usage is about 17.8¢ per kilowatt hour.

Equipment (Extraction) Explosives Hand tools Includes pick axes and shovels Heavy equipment Includes bulldozers, drills, motor scrapers, bucket wheel excavator

Equipment (Use) Coal Bunker Pulverizer/Mill Boiler Steam Turbines Generator Condenser Filter Water Purifier Substation/Transformer

Consumption Coal is used to produce 62% of the world’s electricity and 50% of the United States’ electricity. 18 billion tons of coal was used for commercial energy globally. 1,596,150,000 tons of coal were used in the U.S. in 2010

Usage Components of coal are used to make plastics, tar, synthetic fibers, cement, fertilizer, ceramics, and various chemicals. Methanol and ethylene, both found in coal, are used in medicines. When baked, coal turns into coke. The coke is then used to smelt iron ore to make steel. Coal is burned to generate electricity. In the United States, 93% of total coal is used to generate electricity.

Advantages High net energy yield With government subsides, low cost Easily combustible Versatile in use Currently abundant Easy to transport

Disadvantages Nonrenewable Degradation/Destruction of ecosystems when mined Air, water, and land pollution Emits carbon dioxide (primary greenhouse gas), sulfur dioxide (contributes to acid rain), particulates (leads to respiratory diseases), mercury (linked to neurological damage), and nitrogen oxides (leads to respiratory diseases) Hazardous to human health Extraction can lead to death