Coal

1. Coal By Paris Carmichael, Kristina Mcgee, and Ny Rahim

2. What is Coal? • Coal is a black or dark brown rock mostly made of plant matter. • Coal is found mainly in underground deposits and commonly used as fuel.

3. Is it renewable or nonrenewable? • Coal is a nonrenewable energy source. • It is a fossil fuel, and we do not have unlimited amounts of it. • Eventually, it will run out.

4. When and who discovered it? • Coal was used more than 3,000 years ago by the Chinese. • The first recorded discovery of coal was by French explorers by the Illinois River in 1679. • In 1750, Dr. Thomas Walker was the first person to discover and use coal.

5. How has coal evolved since it was first discovered? • Coal has evolved because it used to be used for power plans, and now power plants are powered by alternative energy fuels. • The use of coal has also increased over the years.

6. Famous Events • One famous event related to coal was the Coal Strike of 1902, which coal miners protested to increase their pay. • It was resolved after President Theodore Roosevelt intervened.

7. Where is coal found? • Coal is found almost everywhere around the world. • It is mostly found in North America, the Middle East, and the Former USSR.

8. How is coal recovered? • Coal is recovered from mining it from the ground using many different tools. • It requires people to work and dig up this energy source. http://www.brainpop.com/technology/energytechnology/fossilfuels/

9. Who uses coal and for what purpose? • The people who use coal are mostly companies who use it for electricity. • The purpose of it is for generation, steel production, cement manufacturing, and liquid fuel.

10. How is coal stored once it is recovered? • Coal is recovered using traditional mining equipment. • They use equipment such as hydraulic shovels and mechanical coal cleaners.

11. Where is coal stored once it is recovered? • Coal is stored once it is recovered to the Coal Disposal Point. • After this, it is blended into railway wagons for more distributing.

12. How do we get coal from its stored state? • We get coal from its stored state by taking it to a power plant and burning it into a boiler, so that it changes into steam. • The steam makes the turbine spin, so it produces energy.

13. What is coal used for today? • It is used to power many industries that uses coal. • Coal is used for steel production, cement manufacturing, electricity generation, and liquid fuel.

14. Are we using more or less of coal than we did in the past? • We are using much more than we did way back then. • In 1980, we were using 3,752,173 short tons of coal, and in 2011, we used 8,144,308 short tons of coal.

15. Advantages of Coal • The advantages of coal are- • Coal is very cheap compared to different fossil fuels. • Coal can be safely kept. • Coal does not require weather to power it. • Coal is a reliable energy source.

16. Disadvantages of Coal • The disadvantages of Coal are- • Pollutes the environment. • Causes acid rain. • Damages the land. • Only a limited amount of coal

17. Will coal even be part of the future? • Coal will be part of the future, even if there are only a limited amount left. • If we continue to use too much coal, we will run out of it.

18. Is new technology currently being created? • There is not technology currently being created but there is something that was recently created. • The technology harnesses energy without burning it.

19. What will coal look like in 30 years? • In 30 years, the amount of coal will decrease , making mining coal more difficult. • It would also increase the cost and demand for coal.

20. References • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Strike_of_1902 • http://www.millerargent.co.uk/coal-recovery/ • http://fossil-fuel.co.uk/coal • http://fossil-fuel.co.uk/coal/advantages-of-coal