Coal Flashcards
How much coal is used in US/world?
Coal supplies 54% of electric power in US and 41% in the world
What kind of environment is coal formed in and why does it help to have swampy setup?
formed on land in flat-lying beds, primarily from trees and land plants
swamps preserve the trees and organisms to make better coal
Why do you need a certain subsidence rate in order to accumulate large amounts of peat?
subsidence rate must equal accumulation rate in order to keep coal submerged
By what factor is peat compressed into coal?
10
100 meters of peat means 10 meters of coal
Where in the US are ideal environments to form coal?
Mississippi Delta
coal precoursors
Peat 60 C Lignite 70C Subitum 80 C Bituminous Coal 80-90 C Anthracite 90C
How do the types of coal perform?
in order of energy: peat, lignite, subitum, anthracite, bituminous
bituminous is dirtiest, anthracite much cleaner
What countries have the largest coal reserves and what are the directions of trade?
US, Russia, China, India
trade to Europe and Japan
Did coal form before or after dinosaurs? How long ago?
Coal was earlier
325 Million Years ago
(dinosaurs were 250 million)
Does the US produce or consume more coal?
produces more
What mineral contributes most to sulfur release from coal mining and burning?
Pyrite
Where is sulfur especially in eastern provinces coming from?
high levels of SO4 in the ocean, easter province has more of this
What are the differences between coal in Eastern and Western provinces in the US?
East: bituminous and higher, low ash, high sulfur, mining is harder
West: bituminous and lower, high ash, low sulfur, mining easier
What are the three most toxic elements of coal?
CO2
Acid Rain
Mercury
where is dust coming from in coal burning?
fine powdered form of coal, created due to crushing and grinding when handling and transporting coal because it is brittle
