Coal Notes

1. Coal Notes

2. Take out your notes and answer these questions….in writing! What is a non-renewable resource? Give some examples… What is a renewable resource? Give some examples…

3. What are Resources? • Renewable resources -resources replaced as they used • Ex. Water, plants (trees), air, sun • Nonrenewable Resources -have a limited supply • Ex. Minerals and Fossil fuels

4. What are Fossil Fuels? • Fossil Fuels – Forms of stored energy that are remains of living things made primarily of carbon and hydrogen through the process of carbonization. • Ex. coal, oil, natural gas

5. Carbonization Carbonization – The decomposition of plants releasing gases which change the chemical composition of the plants leaving only carbon and hydrogen.

6. What is Coal? • Coal- formed from partially decomposed vegetation, which is turned into solid brittle rock when it is compressed over a long period of time.

7. Coal Facts You Should Know! • The most abundant fossil fuel • 5-10 ft of decomposed material makes about 1 ft of coal • Less than half the price per million BTU than oil and natural gas.

8. Coal Fast Facts • 1 lb. of coal can power 10-100 watt light bulbs for an hour • Should last for about 250 years at the current rate of use • Use decreased during the 40’s and 50’s because oil and gas were easier to use • Use has been increasing since the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973

9. Oil Embargo- 1973-74 News Cast

10. More Coal Fast Facts • It is now used mainly for the generation of electricity • In 1997 it was responsible for 31% of the nation’s energy consumption • Mostly transported by train or barge • China is the major producer and the U.S. is second

11. Take out your notes… Try to draw a diagram of what a coal powerplant looks like…

12. How Coal Generates Electricity Coal Factory Animation

13. Problems with Coal

14. In your books (pg 436) describe each of the following… Peat Lignite Subbituminous Bituminous Anthracite Coke (on back of notes sheet)

15. Problems with Coal… • Contains sulfur causing air pollution when burned. • Makes acid rain! • High amounts of air pollution (CO2 and SO2) are given off by coal power plants. • Causes more air pollution when burned than any other fossil fuel

20. Coal Mining • Underground mining: • dangerous, collapsed mines, fires, gas explosions, and black lung (lungs are coated in coal dust) • Strip Mining - the overlying layer of rock is stripped to get to the coal from the surface. • this is cheaper, safer, and yields 3x’s more coal than underground mining

21. Centrailia and an Explosion Centralia Video Mine Explosion Video

22. Problems with Strip Mining • Less than one-half of the mines have been reclaimed… • restored to their natural state • Acid Mine Drainage: (AMD) is when water reacts with mineral in the open mine forming highly acidic water pollution the environment killing aquatic organisms and waterfowl

24. AMD in PA AMD IN PA

29. Solutions to Coal Use • Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 requires that mined land be restored to its primary use (forest, field, etc.) • Clean Air Act of 1990 forces companies to reduce the emissions (release) of SO2 and NO2 when burning coal • More coal in this country is coming from the mid-west instead of the east because it contains less sulfur • New technologies are being invented to reduce 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 one-half the CO2 and SO2 of coal

30. Reclamation

31. Synthetic Fuels • Fuels produced by chemically changing fossil fuels like coal. They are cleaner burning • In your books, pg 446, find the notes for… • Liquid Coal • Coal Gas • Oil Shale

32. Fracking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pCvdOg0Cec&feature=fvst