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Coal Fired Power Plants. How they work, why they are harmful, and alternative sources of energy. . Coal generates 54% of our electricity, and is the single biggest air polluter in the U.S.
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Coal Fired Power Plants How they work, why they are harmful, and alternative sources of energy.
Coal generates 54% of our electricity, and is the single biggest air polluter in the U.S. A typical (500 megawatt) coal plant burns 1.4 million tons of coal each year. There are about 600 U.S. coal plants.
The two fundamental problems with using coal for fuel. ---Burning coal emits Sulfuric and Nitric oxide into the atmosphere creating acid rain. -The process of obtaining coal involves destroying mountains which effects the biodiversity of the surrounding areas.
Acid rain makes aluminum in the soil more soluble. Aluminum then gets trapped in fishes gills causing them to die in mass quantities.
Effects of coal mining on water, wildlife, and topsoil. • Drainage of usable water from aquifers. • If a flood occurs, loose topsoil will be carried into waterways causing the pollution of drinking water and destruction of biodiversity in lake systems. • The mixture of stone and soil left behind is infertile.
In an average year, a typical coal plant generates: 3,700,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary human cause of global warming--as much carbon dioxide as cutting down 161 million trees.
