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Exploring the World of Coal: Types, Production, and Usage

Discover the elemental components, types, top producers, and impact of coal. Learn about extraction equipment, energy efficiency, costs, consumption, advantages, and disadvantages.

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Exploring the World of Coal: Types, Production, and Usage

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

  2. 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)

  3. 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.

  4. 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 

  5. Coal Production Within the U.S.

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

  7. 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.

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

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

  10. 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

  11. 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.

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

  13. 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

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