the environmental cost of coal and petroleum

The Environmental Cost of Coal and Petroleum The Environmental Cost of Coal
Brian H. Lower, Ph.D. and Steven K. Lower, Ph.D. The Ohio State University
Jason Hawkes, National Geographic.
Brian H. Lower1 (PhD), Steven K. Lower1,2 (PhD) Kylienne A. Shaul1 (MS), Ella M. Weaver1 (BS)
1School of Environment & Natural Resources 2School of Earth Sciences
Textbook: Anne Houtman, Susan Karr and Jeneen Interlandi Environmental Science for a Changing World, 1st, 2nd or 3rd edition
W.H. Freeman & Company, New York, NY (2013, 2015 or 2018)
Dr. Lower (Ohio State University)
BRINGING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
carbon
Coal
A combusOble sedimentary rock composed primarily of carbon. It also contains oxygen, hydrogen, sulfur, nitrogen. Trace metals are also associated with coal: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, radium, selenium, thorium, uranium.
Coal • A sedimentary organic rock that • Coal with high sulfur content was
contains 40-90% carbon by weight, formed in salt water swamps that also contains sulfur, nitrogen, were covered with salt water oxygen, hydrogen (+trace elements) – Bacteria living in the swamps converted
• Formed by ancient plants and sulfate in the sea water into pyrite (FeS ), which became part of the coal. animals accumulaOng in moist peat 2
• Coal with low sulfur content was bogs formed primarily under fresh water
o It takes between 4,000 to 100,000 condiOonsyears for 1-meter of peat to accumulate • Coal in Eastern USA is about
o Over Ome peat is compressed by 300,000,000 years old (before further deposits and carbon dinosaurs) content of coal is concentrated • Coal in Western USA is younger, (older coal is harder and blacker) 150,000,000 years old (when
o Peat is compressed over long dinosaurs were alive) periods of Ome unOl coal is formed • Finding coal is rather easy because
o The process of coal formaOon rocks (clinker) on the Earth’s occurs best in river deltas or coastal surface tell when coal is below (or plains
coal is seen on surface)
Coal forms over millions of years
FormaKon of the Appalachian Mountains was the last and

TERMS TO KNOW: Energy return on energy investment (EROEI)
Coal is formed over long periods of Kme as plant maMer is buried in an oxygen-poor environment and subjected to high heat and
pressure. Today, these areas are called coal reserves.
Types of Coal 1. Peat – not even coal yet, youngest, used
as energy in parts of world (e.g., Ireland Peat peat bogs) 2. Lignite – young coal, so@ and brown, low
energy content 13 million BTU/ton, used in countries like Poland
3. Sub-bituminous – common in USA, energy Lignite content of 18 million BTU/ton, younger coal, used in coal-fired power plants
4. Bituminous – most widespread in USA, dates back to 300,000,000 years ago, high energy, 24 million BTU/ton, used in coal-
Bituminousfired power plants

Coal • Coal is mined from underground or surface mines (now
accounts for 60% of coal produced in USA) • Top coal producing states Wyoming > Kentucky > West
Virginia • Sub-bituminous coal from Wyoming has 0.35% sulfur by
weight compared to Kentucky coal, which has 1.59% sulfur by weight
• Wyoming coal has on average 8,500 BTU of energy/pound of coal < Eastern coal has 12,000 BTU of energy/pound of coal
• In USA each person consumes 5 pounds of coal per day (2,000 pounds/year)
• USA has ~100,000 coal miners working some 2,500 mines • Coal transported by rail and barge, transportation of coal = a
major cost

The New York Times Audio Slide Show “A Closer Look at Coal”
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/ us/20060528_COAL_FEATURE/blocker.html
Some Interesting Facts about coal: 1. American Electric Power (AEP) is the largest consumer of coal in USA 2. The USA has 100-250 years of coal at current consumption rate 3. The USA has the largest coal resources on Earth 4. A typical 500-Megawatt coal-fired electricity plant supplies enough power to
run 500,000 homes and produces as much greenhouse gas emissions annually as 750,000 cars (Source: Royal Dutch Shell).
5. This same plant uses 2.2 billion gallons of water per year 6. Current coal-fired power plants are only ~33% ef ficient at converting coal
into electricity , other 67% is waste heat. The ef ficiency is largely by steam turbines.
7. Capture heat waste = increased ef ficiency = less greenhouse gas emission
Coal (anthracite) 227 Petroleum coke 225 Coal (lignite) 215 Coal (subbituminous) 213 Coal (bituminous) 205
Wood and wood waste 195
Tires/tire derived fuel 189 Fuel oil 161 Kerosene 159
Automobile gasoline 156 Aviation gasoline 153
Propane 139 Liquefied petroleum gas 139 Natural gas 117
Fossil fuels release different amounts of greenhouse gases
McCracken Power Plant on the campus of The Ohio State University.
McCracken Power Plant, OSU Finished in 1918, enlarged in 1923, 1929, 1959, 1962. It operated as a coal-fired power plant until 2004 when it switched to natural gas, which is primarily methane (CH4). It cost $70-million to switch to gas. This switch resulted in 78% reduction in air pollution from the plant, from 658 - tons of pollutants in 2003 to 143-tons of pollutants in 2004. Most of the pollutants prior to 2004 was sulfur dioxide. In 2003 the plant emitted 217 tons of SO2, in 2004 only 3.3 tons were emitted.
Spencer Hunt. Columbus Dispatch. May 21, 2007.

Greenhouse Gas Molecules
The gases that absorb infrared In the absence of greenhouse gases the radiaOon (IR, long-wavelengths, Earth’s average surface temperature, heat) in the atmosphere and trap the which is currently 14oC (57oF) would be radiaOon somewhat like a as low as -18oC (-0.4oF). greenhouse does. Human-produced greenhouse gases 1. Carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased in concentraOon in the 2. Methane (CH ) Earth’s atmosphere over the past 100
4 years. 3. Nitrous oxide (N2O) 4. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Ranking the gases by their contribuOon 5. Troposphere ozone (O3) to the greenhouse effect:

Global Warming PotenOal
FuncOon of efficiency of molecule to act as a greenhouse gas and its atmospheric lifeOme.
1.CO2 – variable lifeOme of years to centuries 2.CH4 – atmospheric lifeOme 10-15 years 3.N2O – atmospheric lifeOme 114 years 4.CFCs – atmospheric lifeOme 10-100 years
US EPA Overview of Greenhouse Gases: http://epa.gov/ghgemissions
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/history.html
Well...this short movie is a bit more scientific:
Time history of atmospheric carbon dioxide from 800,000 years ago until 2012
Is it important to gather data from many locations. Is it important to gather data over long periods of time.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Origin of Milky Way Galaxy
O2 Atmosphere
1 12 23
2 13 24
3 14 25
4 15 26
5 16 27
6 17 28
7 18 29
8 19 30
9 20 31
Human* civilization 20,000 years
Eukaryotic Life 2.0 billion years
Homo sapiens 200,000 years
Reptiles
Mammals
Flowers
Photosynthesis
On this scale 1 second ~ 435 years
This increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) in Earth’s atmosphere coincides with the
population growth of humans and our use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcSX4ytEfcE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc4HxPxNrZ0
In the pastThe population 200 years of humans on the Earth’s Earth was population of humansabout all of
’ grew to Earth s ~7-billion existence
Chapter 1 Watching the World Change (3:00-6:00)
Heat was a program that was written and produced by Martin Smith for PBS FRONTLINE. The 2-hour program first aired on October 21, 2008. The program investigated our role in climate change. One of the scientific experts featured in Heat was Dr. Lonnie Thompson from The Ohio State University.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/heat/view/#4
Gee reelected to Massey Energy Board, May 19, 2009: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/05/18/daily18.html?ana=twt
Gee reOres for Massey Energy Board, July 1, 2009: http://www.thelantern.com/2009/05/president-gee-resigns-from-coal-board/
Mine Explosion and 29 miners dead at Massey Coal Mine in WV, April 5, 2010: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/us/10westvirginia.html?smid=pl- share&mtrref=u.osu.edu&gwh=3AAEC99A220E8CC9A9107021C3E8D9FC&gwt=pay
Movie produced by Yale Environment 360 in collaboraOon with MediaStorm.
! Photographs of natural Appalachian Ecosystems with minimal human contact
Photographs of Appalachian Ecosystems after mountaintop removal coal mining
Palmer et al.,! Science! 8 January 2010! Vol 327! pp 148-149!
Palmer et al., Science, 8 January 2010, V ol 327, pp 148-149.
Lindberg et al.,! PNAS! 27 December 2011! Vol 108! pp 20929-20934!
Main Concept Coal plays a major role as an energy source around the world.
Despite efforts to reduce the health and environmental risks associated with burning coal, the impact of mining operaOons will conOnue as long as we use coal.
Spruce No. 1 mine West Virginia
Learning Outcomes At the end of this unit you should know: The importance of coal as a global energy source
Methods associated with extracOng coal and using it to generate electricity
The role of technology in reducing negaOve impacts
Spruce No. 1 mine West Virginia

Background: Surface mining for coal involves blasOng off several hundred
feet of mountaintop and dumping the rubble nearby before extracOng the
coal below.

Mining operaOons have claimed nearly a million acres of forested mountain, across
four states—Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee.

There is sOll more to come as the coal industry moves ahead supplying our primary energy source for electricity
producOon.

Coal is an important fossil fuel energy source
1 pound of coal = electricity for ten 100-waQ bulbs for an hour or an energy-efficient refigerator for 2 hours
A U.S. family of four uses about 9000 lbs per year.
Energy Return on Energy Investment (EROEI): Coal 8:1, oil 15:1, nuclear 6:1, and wind 20:1
0
Fossil fuels – Non-renewable carbon-based resources
Heat and cool homes Operate cell phones
Power lamps and laptops Fuel our cars
Power our industry
The United States uses about 1 billion tons of coal per year.
1,000,000,000 x 2000
40% of electricity worldwide and 45% in the United States
comes from coal.
The most common way to generate electricity is by heaKng water to
produce steam.
1 pound of coal = electricity for ten 100-wa? bulbs for an hour
Coal has shaped waves of progress from the United Kingdom to the
United States and now into China. Economies have increased, but so
have health impacts through the use of coal. Black lung, birth defects, etc.

Coal forms over millions of years
Tectonic rapid burying of organic material, and slow compacOon into coal has been repeated around the globe.
Europe holds about 36% of the world’s reserves, another 30% in Asia, and a liQle more than 28% in North America.
Coal recovery in the Appalachian beds was easy 150 years ago, but now, extracOon methods have become more destrucOve, as minable coal becomes harder to reach.
upheaval, deep and

TERMS TO KNOW: Surface mining Subsurface mines Acid mine drainage
Mountaintop removal A@er clear-cuRng forests, drilling into the sides of the
mountains, and blasOng what remained….
The process was repeated unOl the neighboring valleys were
filled with overburden and the forest habitat was obliterated
and streams were buried.
Surface mining A@er clear-cuRng forests, drilling into the sides of the
mountains, and blasOng what remained….
The process was repeated unOl the neighboring valleys were
filled with overburden and the forest habitat was obliterated
and streams were buried.
Mining comes with a set of serious trade-offs
Surface mining - In strip mining, overburden is set aside and used to refill the pit le@ by mining the coal before moving on to the next strip. Subsurface mining – Methane is released, acidifying water, toxins leach from surrounding rocks, sulfates produce acid drainage; it affects everything from nutrient cycles to the enOrety of the local food web. Up side: less alteraOon to large surface areas and more jobs.
Mining comes with a set of serious trade-offs
COAL DUST – Black lung disease from breathing coal dust. In 2004, there were 703 coal miner deaths from pneumoconiosis compared to 26 from accidental death.
EXPLOSIONS AND MINE COLLAPSE – Methane gas and coal dust are major causes of explosions. 362 miners died in the worst mining explosion in U.S. history (1907) and 29 in a single accident in 2010.
FIRE – Some have been burning for hundreds of years! A mine fire in Pennsylvania has been burning since 1962 and caused the town to be abandoned.

Maria Gunnoe – Goldman Environmental
Surface mining brings severe environmental impacts
Over Ome, mining has led to “No Trespassing” signs, blasOng, millions of tons of overburden, loss of forests, soil compacOon, and more frequent and severe flooding.
The ground can’t absorb water and surrounding valleys are filled with overburden.
Flooding in 2003 nearly swallowed up the town of Bob White including houses, barns, and families.
Toxins fill the air and children in the area have a higher incidence of birth defects including heart, lung, and
central nervous system disorders associated with the fumes from blas>ng. Mining is linked to bioaccumula>on
and biomagnifica>on of toxins worldwide.

Surface mining brings severe environmental impacts
Loss of biodiversity in aquaOc systems affects forest life and impacts the very base of the food web.
Increases in nitrogen and phosphorus availability: - Altered aquaOc systems - EutrophicaOon - Increases in sulfate- feeding bacteria - ProducOon of toxic hydrogen sulfide
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – Posi>ve and nega>ve impacts of any ac>on poten>ally causing environmental damage.
Dangers to the environment are similar to those experienced around the world. Mining opera>ons beyond coal include
gold, copper, iron ore, and other geological resources.

Mining impacts
oxides, CO2, kidney disease, loss of habitat,
toxic selenium, compacted soil, increased flooding, thermal pollu>on
Clean up potential?
Mining impacts
potenKal? Clean-up
PBS, Beyond the Light Switch Carbon capture and storage Learn about carbon dioxide capture (Watch 5:30-11:40): http://video.pbs.org/video/2365055029/
Carbon Capture and Storage

Example of Natural Leakage of CO2 • In 1986 in Lake Nyos in Cameroon (west central coast of Africa) a large amount of naturally occurring CO2 leaked from under the lake and asphyxiated 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock. Resulted from volcanic acOvity, CO2 is a heavy gas and so it “hugged” the ground suffocaOng all these people.
Lake Nyos is a 700-foot deep crater lake that is situated on the side of a volcano in Cameroon.
PBS, Beyond the Light Switch Carbon capture and storage Learn about storing carbon dioxide underground Watch (11:40-17:29): http://www.pbs.org/video/dptv-documentaries- beyond-light-switch-segment-2-coal/
PBS Now Blueprint America America in Gridlock, Clean Coal Watch (Copy & Paste Link Below): http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/video/ cleaning-coal-video-full-report/528/
TERMS TO KNOW: Carbon capture and sequestra)on (CCS)
Coal-burning pollutes the environment by releasing a wide range of toxins—sulfur, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, radioac)ve materials, and par)culate maber. At the end of 2011, the EPA imposed Mercury and Air Toxic standards that will reduce emissions by 90% and predicted to save $90 billion in human health over the first 5 years.
Can coal’s emissions be cleaned up?
Coal-fired plants generate tons of toxic fly ash—most is buried in landfills or stored in open ponds.
2008 – TVA Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee – Holding pond failed and released 1.1 billion gallons of fly ash into nearby rivers.
Clean-up es)mates are $1.2 billion.
$1,200,000,000 before the costs of property damage and lawsuits are added in.
TERMS TO KNOW: Carbon capture and sequestra)on (CCS)
Coal Ash Waste Ponds • Waste products of coal combustion • Produced by coal-fired power plants
525,000,000 gallon of ash waste pond in Kingston, Tennessee
Fly ash contains heavy metal toxins: Arsenic Cadmium Chromium Mercury Radium Selenium Thorium Uranium
Aerial Image of Kingston Tennessee Ash Slide 12/23/08
Waterkeeper Alliance Photos and Videos of Dan River Coal Ash Spill
http://myfox8.com/2014/02/06/dan-river- highly-toxic-due-to-duke-energy-coal-ash-spill/
Operated by Duke Energy
Dan River Stream Station
Power Plant’s Coal Ash Waste Ponds are Located Approximately 250-feet from the Dan River
Coal Ash Sludge Pond
Coal Ash Sludge Leak
Coal ash sludge spill occurred at the Dan River Stream Station on February 2, 2014. Duke Energy Ash Pond is 50+ years old. Duke Energy estimated 160,000,000 pounds of coal ash and 27,000,000 gallons of contaminated water was released from one of its coal ash pond through a broken 48-inch storm water pipe into the Dan River, North Carolina. The waste is extremely toxic to all organisms and contains high concentrations of many known toxins including arsenic, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium and uranium. Dan River is an important freshwater ecosystem and provides drinking water for many communities. Duke Energy operates 23 coal ash ponds in the eastern USA and 26 coal ash ponds in the midwest USA.

CO2 is rel eased when coal burns and i s trapped by a solvent before it l eaves the smokestack.
Carbon Capture and Sequestra)on (CCS)

CO2 is released when coal burns and is trapped by a solvent before it leaves the smokestack.
CO2 is released when coal burns and is trapped by a solvent before it leaves the smokestack.
A stripper separates CO2 from the solvent and repurposes it for industry.
Addi)onal CO2 is injected deep underground into available wells, seams, and salt forma)ons for long- term storage.
Reclaiming closed mining sites helps repair the area but
does not restore the original ecosystem
TERMS TO KNOW: Reclama)on
The controversial process of reclama)on requires that the mined area be returned to a state close to pre-
mining condi)ons.
Ager reclama)on
does not restore the original ecosystem Reclama)on o[en involves use of alkaline materials to neutralize acids in the soil, priority for easily planted vegeta)on like grass rather than na)ve species, and non-na)ve loblolly pine to replace missing temperate forests.
Ager reclama)on
A valley in West Virginia aIer mining shows none of the original forest, ridges, or streams that were once found there.
The controversial process of reclama)on requires that the mined area be returned to a state close to pre-mining condi)ons.
The process o[en involves use of alkaline materials to neutralize acids in the soil, priority for easily planted vegeta)on like grass rather than na)ve species, and hardwood seedlings to replace originally lush swamplands that grew into some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet.
A valley in West Virginia aIer mining shows none of the original forest, ridges, or streams
that were once found there.
Structure Bookmarks
The Environmental Cost of Coal & Petroleum.. Brian H. Lower, Ph.D. and Steven K. Lower, Ph.D.. The Ohio State University..
Jason Hawkes, National Geographic.
BRINGING DOWN. THE MOUNTAIN.
BRINGING DOWN. THE MOUNTAIN.
carbon.
Coal
Coal.
Coal.
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Ittakes between 4,000 to 100,000 years for 1-meter of peat.. to accumulate
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Over Ome peat.. is compressed by further deposits and carbon content.. of coal is concentrated (older coal is harder and blacker)
o.
o.
Peat.. is compressed over long periods of Ome unOl coal is formed
o.
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•.
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Coal with high sulfur content.. was formed in salt.. water swamps that.. were covered with salt.. water
–. Bacteria.. living in the swamps converted sulfate in the sea.. water into pyrite (FeS), which became part.. of the coal.
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Finding coal is rather easy because rocks (clinker) on the Earth’ssurface tell when coal is below (or coal is seen on surface)
Figure
19
Figure
Figure
19
Figure
Types.. of.. Coal.
1..
1..
1..
–not.. even coal yet, youngest, used as energy in parts of world (e.g., Ireland peat.. bogs)
Peat
2..
2..
–young coal, so@ and brown, low energy content.. 13 million BTU/ton, used in countries like Poland
Lignite
3..
3..
–common in USA, energy content.. of 18 million BTU/ton, younger coal, used in coal-red power plants
Sub-bituminous
4..
4..
–most.. widespread in USA, dates back to 300,000,000 years ago, high energy, 24 million BTU/ton, used in coalred power plants
Bituminous
5..
5..
–hardest.. coal, found mostly in Pennsylvania, supplies of anthracite have been exhausted, 23 million BTU/ton, high sulfur content, 90% carbon content
Anthracite
*BTU –.. BriOsh Thermal Unit.. =the amount.. of energy. required to heat.. 1-pound of water 1Fahrenheit.. .
o
Peat..
Lignite
Bituminous.
Anthracite.
Figure
Coal .
Coal .
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Coal transported by rail and barge, transportation of coal = a major cost
Figure
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American Electric Power (AEP) is the largest consumer of coal in USA
2.
2.
The USA has 100-250 years of coal at current consumption rate
3.
3.
4.
4.
A typical 500-Megawatt coal-fired electricity plant supplies enough power to run 500,000 homes and produces as much greenhouse gas emissions annually as 750,000 cars (Source: Royal Dutch Shell).
5.
5.
This same plant uses 2.2 billion gallons of water per year
6.
6.
Current coal-fired power plants are only ~33% efficient at converting coal into electricity, other 67% is waste heat. The efficiency is largely by steam turbines.
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7.
Figure
Fuel type
McCracken Power Plant on the campus of The Ohio State University.
McCracken Power Plant, OSU.
McCracken Power Plant, OSU.
Finished in 1918, enlarged in 1923, 1929, 1959, 1962.
It operated as a coal-fired power plant until 2004 when it switched to natural gas, which is primarily methane (CH4).
It cost $70-million to switch to gas.
-
Most of the pollutants prior to 2004 was sulfur dioxide. In 2003 the plant emitted 217 tons of SO2, in 2004 only 3.3 tons were emitted.
Spencer Hunt. Columbus Dispatch. May 21, 2007.
Figure
2
In the absence of greenhouse gases the Earth’s average surface temperature, which is currently 14C(57F)would.. be as low as -18C(-0.4F).
o
o
o
o
Human-produced greenhouse gases have increased in concentraOon in the Earth’s atmosphere over the past.. 100 years.
Ranking the gases by their contribuOon to the greenhouse eect:
1. HO vapor 34-70%..
2
Global Warming PotenOal.
1.CO–variable lifeOme of years to centuries 2.CH–atmospheric lifeOme 10-15 years 3.NO –.. atmospheric lifeOme 114 years 4.CFCs –.. atmospheric lifeOme 10-100 years
2
4
2
http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases.html
Figure
Figure
David Horsey, Los Angles Times (2014)..
..
of humans
grew to .
Earth’s
hQp://environment.naOonalgeographic.com
Figure
Figure
Gee re-elected to Massey Energy Board, May 19, 2009:
hQp://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/05/18/daily18.html
hQp://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/05/18/daily18.html
hQp://www.cbs59.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=59988
April 6, 2016 - Coal CEO Don Blankenship (Massey Energy) sentenced to 1 year of prison for conspiring to break safety laws and defrauding mine regulators.
Figure
Four months after former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was found guilty for his role in the 2010 mining disaster that killed 29 miners, he was sentenced to the maximum one year in prison and another year of supervised release and the maximum of $250,000 fine.
coal-executive-don-blankenship-sentenced-to-1-year-in-prison
coal-executive-don-blankenship-sentenced-to-1-year-in-prison
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/06/473256648/former
Movie produced by Yale Environment.. 360 in collaboraOon. with MediaStorm..
hQp://e360.yale.edu/feature/. leveling_appalachia_the_legacy_of_mountaintop_removal_mining/2198/.
hQp://e360.yale.edu/feature/. leveling_appalachia_the_legacy_of_mountaintop_removal_mining/2198/.
Photographs of Appalachian Ecosystems after mountaintop removal coal mining
Palmer et al., Science 8 January 2010 Vol 327 pp 148-149
Figure
Palmer et al., Science, 8 January 2010, Vol 327, pp 148-149..
Figure
Lindberg et al., PNAS 27 December 2011 Vol 108 pp 20929-20934
Figure
19
Figure
Main Concept
Main Concept
Coal plays a.. major role as. an energy source around. the world..
Despite eorts to reduce the health and environmental risks associated with burning coal, the impact.. of mining operaOons will conOnue as long as we use coal.
Spruce.. No.1mine.. West Virginia
Figure
Learning .Outcomes.
Learning .Outcomes.
Methods associated with extracOng coal and using it.. to generate electricity
The role of technology in. reducing negaOve impacts.
Figure
In the rubble, the true cost of coal
Case.. Study: Coal mining in Appalachia.. Background: Surface mining for coal involves blasOng o several hundred feet.. of mountaintop and dumping the rubble nearby before extracOng the coal below.
TERMS TO KNOW: Coal Mountaintop removal Energy Fossilfuels.. Electricity
In the rubble, the true cost of coal
There is sOll more to come as the coal. industry moves ahead supplying our. primary energy source for electricity.
producOon...
19
Figure
A U.S. family of four uses about.. 9000 lbs per year..
A U.S. family of four uses about.. 9000 lbs per year..
Energy Return on Energy Investment (EROEI):Coal 8:1, oil 15:1, nuclear 6:1, and wind 20:1
Energy Return on Energy Investment (EROEI):Coal 8:1, oil 15:1, nuclear 6:1, and wind 20:1
Energy –Capacity to do work.
Fossil fuels –Non-renewable carbon-based resources
Heat.. and cool homes Operate cell phones Power lamps and laptops Fuel our cars Power our industry
The United States uses about.. .1 billion tons of coal per year..
1,000,000,000x2000
1,000,000,000x2000
40% of electricity worldwide and 45% in the United States comes from coal.
19
The.. most.. commonwaytogenerate.. electricityisbyheaKng.. water.. to produce steam.
1 pound of coal =.. electricity for ten 100-wa? bulbs for an hour.
Figure
19 Coal is an important fossil fuel energy source Coal is the main fossil fuel source used to produce electricity, but.. its role is slowly being reduced as use of renewable fuels increases. Coal has shaped waves of progress from the United Kingdom to the United States and now into China. Economies have increased, but.. so have health impacts through the use of coal. Black lung, birth defects, etc.
19
Figure
Figure
19
Coal forms over millions of years.
Tectonic upheaval, deep and rapid burying of organic material, and slow compacOon into coal has been repeated around the globe.
Europe holds about.. 36% of the world’s reserves, another 30% in Asia, and a.. liQle more than 28% in North America.
Coal recovery in the Appalachian beds was easy 150 years ago, but.. now, extracOon methods have
Hobet.. 21 has claimed at.. least.. 12,000
become more destrucOve, as
acres of land. Clear-cu@ng, drilling, and blas>ng have le1 some 80 million to reach. tons of overburden each year.
minable coal becomes harder
Mountaintop removal
Mountaintop removal
19
A@er clear-cuRng forests, drilling into the sides of the mountains, and blasOng what.. remained….
The process was repeated unOl the neighboring valleys were lled with overburden and the forest.. habitat.. was obliterated and streams were buried.
19
Figure
Surfacemining..
A@er clear-cuRng forests, drilling into the sides of the mountains, and blasOng what.. remained….
The process was repeated unOl the neighboring valleys were lled with overburden and the forest.. habitat.. was obliterated and streams were buried.
19
Mining comes with a set of serious trade-offs.
pit.. le@ by mining the coal before moving on to the next.. strip. Subsurfacemining.. –Methane is released, acidifying water, toxins leach from surrounding rocks, sulfates produce acid drainage; it.. aects everything from nutrient.. cycles to the enOrety of the local food web. Up side: less alteraOon to
large surface areas and more jobs.
Mining comes with a set of serious trade-offs.
19
COAL DUST –Black lung disease from breathing coal dust. In 2004, there were 703 coal miner deaths from pneumoconiosis compared to 26 from accidental death.
FIRE –Some have been burning for hundreds of years! A mine re in Pennsylvania.. has been burning since 1962 and caused the town to be abandoned.
TOXIC FUMES –In 2006, twelve miners died from carbon dioxide poisoning while trapped in West.. Virginia.
19
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Surface mining brings severe environmental impacts.
The ground can’tabsorb water and surrounding valleys are lled with overburden...
Flooding in 2003 nearly swallowed up the town of Bob White including houses, barns, and families.
Toxins ll the air and children in the area have a higher incidence of birth defects including heart, lung, and central nervous system.. disorders associated with the fumes from.. blas>ng. Mining is linked to bioaccumula>on and biomagnica>on of toxins worldwide.
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Surface mining brings severe environmental impacts.
Loss of biodiversity in aquaOc systems aects forest.. life and impacts the very base of the food web.
Increases in nitrogen and phosphorus availability:
Figure
Dangers to the environment.. are similar to those experienced around the world. Mining opera>ons beyond coal include gold, copper, iron ore, and other geological resources.
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Mining impacts Clean-up potenKal? Toxic ash, sulfates.. , mercury, arsenic, lung disease, nitrogen oxides, CO2,kidney disease, loss.. of habitat, toxic selenium, compacted soil, increased ooding, thermal.. pollu>on
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Mining impacts
Can coal’s emissions be cleaned up?.
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Carbon Capture and Storage.
Carbon Capture and Storage.
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Main draw backs are that.. its expensive and potenOally dangerous if you have a.. large amount.. of COleak out.. of the ground and asphyxiate (kill) humans or animals at.. surface
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•. In 1986 in Lake Nyos in Cameroon (west.. central coast.. of Africa) a.. large amount.. of naturally occurring COleaked from under the lake and asphyxiated 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock. Resulted from volcanic acOvity, COis a.. heavy gas and so it.. “hugged” the ground suocaOng all these people.
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Figure
Figure
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http://video.pbs.org/video/2365055029
PBS Now Blueprint America. America in Gridlock, Clean Coal .Watch (Copy & Paste Link Below): .
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the environmental cost of coal and petroleum

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