Carbon dioxide is the primary emission. It is called a greenhouse gas because it absorbs and retains heat in the atmosphere, and keeps our planet at a livable temperature.
In the natural carbon cycle , carbon and carbon dioxide are constantly cycled between the land, ocean, atmosphere, and all living and decomposing organisms. Carbon is also sequester ed, or stored underground. This keeps the carbon cycle in balance. However, when coal and other fossil fuels are extracted and burned, they release sequestered carbon into the atmosphere, which leads to a build-up of greenhouse gases and adversely affects climate s and ecosystems.
Other Toxic Emissions Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are also released when coal is burned. These contribute to acid rain , smog , and respiratory illness es. Mercury is emitted when coal is burned. In the atmosphere, mercury is usually not a hazard. In water, however, mercury transforms into methylmercury, which is toxic and can accumulate in fish and organisms that consume fish, including people. Fly ash which floats away with other gases during coal combustion and bottom ash which does not float away are also released when coal is combusted.
Depending on the composition of the coal, these particulates can contain toxic elements and irritants such as cadmium, silicon dioxide, arsenic, and calcium oxide. 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. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Andrew Turgeon Elizabeth Morse. Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society. Jeannie Evers, Emdash Editing. Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service.
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When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer.
If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives. Individuals, communities, and countries depend on a variety of different resources to help them thrive: electricity, timber, oil, water, and food to name a few. Because these basic resources are such a large part of our daily lives, it is important that we manage them responsibly to ensure future generations have what they need.
Human civilization heavily impacts the environment and the rich natural resources we depend on. All communities face the challenge of managing resources responsibly, not only for themselves, but for the sake of the world around them. Learn more about how individuals and communities can manage their resources to support themselves and the world around them.
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.
Each energy resource has its advantages and disadvantages. Explore nonrenewable and renewable options with this collection on energy resources. Different regions have access to different renewable or nonrenewable natural resources such as freshwater, fossil fuels, fertile soil, or timber based on their geographic location and past geologic processes. For example, the Great Plains region of the United States is known for its abundance of fertile soil.
As a result, its main industry is agriculture. Corn, soybeans, and wheat are globally exported from this region and serve as the main economy. On the other side of the spectrum, the desert southwestern region of the United States depends on the Central Arizona Project canals to transport water from the Colorado River in order to support agriculture and urban areas.
Use these materials to explore the interconnected nature of resources and their distribution. Where in the United States does coal come from? Where do we make and use coal-powered electricity? Learn more with these maps. Mining extracts useful materials from the earth. Although mining provides many valuable minerals, it can also harm people and the environment.
The weight of the top layers and the water and dirt packed down the lower layers of plant matter. Heat and pressure produced chemical and physical changes in the plant layers which forced out oxygen and left rich carbon deposits. In time, material that had been plants became coal. Coals are classified into three main ranks, or types: lignite, bituminous coal, and anthracite. These classifications are based on the amount of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen present in the coal.
Coals other constituents include hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, ash, and sulfur. Some of the undesirable chemical constituents include chorine and sodium. In the process of transformation coalification , peat is altered to lignite, lignite is altered to sub-bituminous, sub-bituminous coal is altered to bituminous coal, and bituminous coal is altered to anthracite.
Lignite - is the lowest rank of coal - which means that it has the lowest heating value and lowest carbon content. Although lignite is more solid than peat it crumbles when shipped long distances. Most lignite in the U. Lignite is used to generate electricity. Other uses include generating synthetic natural gas and producing fertilizer products. The heat produced by the combustion of the coal is used to convert water into high-pressure steam, which drives a turbine, which produces electricity.
In , about 23 percent of all electricity in the United States was generated by coal-fired power plants, according to the U. Energy Information Administration. Certain types of bituminous coal can also be used in making steel.
Coal used for steel making needs to be high in carbon content and low in moisture, ash, sulfur, and phosphorous content. Coal that meets these specifications is known as metallurgical coal. Coal also has a myriad of other uses, including in cement production, carbon fibers and foams, medicines, tars, synthetic petroleum-based fuels, and home and commercial heating. The U. In , coal-fired power plants provided Federal, state and local policy makers will gather in Casper, Wyoming, on May to examine science issues associated with the development of coalbed methane.
The two-day conference and field trip, sponsored by the U. Geological Survey USGS , will examine a number of topics including: what is coalbed methane, how it forms, where it occurs, how it is developed, and consequences of development. Cannel coal used to be popular as a fireplace coal because it had little smoke and thus had less Koffing and Weezing present This sample is of peacock coal.
Peacock coal is not a specific class of coal, but rather the name for an effect in which oxidizing materials in the coal create a dazzling array of colors on the surface of the coal.
Usually it is short-lived, as the material fully oxidizes away shortly after exposed to air. Read more about our coal research here:. This sample is of bituminous coal, a middle rank coal between subbituminous and anthracite formed by additional pressure and heat on lignite. Usually has a high Btu value and may be referred to as "soft coal. Cannel coal is a type of bituminous coal that is also sometimes referred to as a type of oil shale.
It's name likely came from the word " candle. This is anthracite, the highest rank of coal. It is a hard, brittle, and black lustrous coal, often referred to as hard coal, containing a high percentage of fixed carbon and a low percentage of volatile matter.
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