How Coal Is Formed Coal, the most plentifully produced fossil fuel in the United States, is a sedimentary rock made up primarily of carbon and hydrocarbons. This nonrenewable source of energy is naturally created from the stored energy of dead plants that are over 300 million years old. These plants are covered with layers of water and dirt which preserve their energy for millions of years. Over time, the heat and pressure exerted by the above layers turn the plant remains into coal. Processing and Transporting. Rachel Aylward, Marisa Chiappini, Francesca Coppola Coal: Naughty or Nice? Mining There are two common methods of mining coal: surface mining and underground mining. Surface mining contributes to two thirds of the United States’ coal production because the majority of the coal beds in the US are in close proximity to the surface of the Earth. With the constant improvement on coal mining technology, the amount of coal produce in hour by one mining company has tripled in the last thirty years. The processing of coal takes place at the same site where it was mined. The coal is placed onto a conveyor belt where it is cleaned, and all rocks, dirt, and other materials are removed from the pile. The removal of these extra materials makes coal easier to heated in the future. After these processes, the coal is now ready to be sent to markets around the world. Shipping can be the most expensive of all the processes that coal goes through. There are many ways that coal can be transported, including barge, ship, truck, pipeline, and the most common, train. To decrease the cost of shipping, many coal- fired electric power plants are built close to the mines. Regions of Coal Production Coal is vastly mined throughout the US. Mining takes places in twenty-six of the fifty states and in three different regions. The three regions include: the Appalachian Coal Region, the Interior Coal Region, and the Western Coal Region. The five states which mine the most coal are Wyoming, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Pictography Hopes for the Future As oil prices continue to increase, the price of coal becomes a more and more convenient source of energy. It is not expensive to extract from the earth, nor is it costly to use in producing electricity. Because the earth’s reserves of coal can last for up to 200 more years at the current rate they are being consumed, coal is a prime source of energy. Also, coal reserves are spread much more evenly across the globe than those of oil. Still, the United States, the largest consumer of energy in the world, has the largest supply of coal. Benefits Disadvantages Although coal is the cheapest of the energy resources, and extremely abundant, it is limited in what it can be used for. For example, coal cannot be used for transportation purposes. Unless using steam machines or electric vehicles, coal is useless in the area of transportation. Also, burning coal pollutes the air. When burned, coal gives off sulfur dioxide, which eventually turns into sulfuric acid, which is extremely harmful to forests. Although gradually, systems are being put in place to lessen the amount of pollution that coal creates, it remains a problem. Not only does the burning of coal create sulfuric acid, but it also results in the production of carbon dioxide, to which there is no solution. Increasing coal consumption greatly increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which can be extremely dangerous. Percentage of use for energy sources Mine/extracting coal Electric car Coal fueled power plant Converting Coal to Energy There are a few different ways to turn coal into energy, but this process shows the very basic steps that need to be taken in order to turn coal into electricity: Through this process, 5,720 lbs. of Carbon Dioxide are created from 2,000 lbs. of coal. 1. The coal is ground into a fine powder by a machine called a pulverizer. 2. In order to make the coal burn quickly and efficiently, the powdered coal is mixed with hot air, and then moved into a furnace In this furnace, water is heated within a boiler, where steam is created. 4. This new steam powers up a turbine engine which turns the coal’s heat energy into mechanical energy. This mechanical energy spins the turbine engine. 5. The spinning turbine engine powers a generator, which produces electric energy out of the mechanical energy. This conversion occurs when a copper coil with magnets inside of it spins in the generator. 6. The steam, which is still moving through the turbine engine, is cooled by a condenser. 7. The steam is converted back into water, and can be used to create coal energy again, the process repeats. The coal industry has improved the purification of the coal that is mined. They are now taking a further initiative to reduce the amount of sulfur and nitrogen oxides that are left in the coal and mines after it is processed. Carbon dioxide is a major discharge from coal combustion that has been recently researched. Scientists wants to decrease the amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted. Also, the recycling and reuse of coal and the coal mine land can also diminish coal’s effect on the environment. ontent.answers.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/ Air_.pollution_1.jpg/220px- Air_.pollution_1.jpg&imgrefurl= om/topic/air-pollution&usg The use of new technologies like flue gas desulfurization equipment is now being used to remove any sulfur remains from the smoke stacks of power plants. home-basics#coal_environment-basics +Coal e.html d/d6/Coal_power_plant_Datteln_2_Crop1.png picture=general-electric-car-scheme.jpg ads/environmental_benefits_pie_chart.gif ts/prb_mine.jpg