...Coal’s Cost on the Environment The environment is becoming one of the central issues in our world today. With effects such as global warming, we are not going to have much time left on this planet if we sit here and do nothing. The use and mining of coal is one of the largest environmental factors in the world. According to the World Health Organization, “coal particulates pollution are estimated to shorten approximately 1,000,000 lives annually worldwide, including nearly 24,000 lives a year in the United States”. You may think, why are we still using and mining this stuff if it is killing us? We really shouldn’t be, but the only problem is that harming the environment can be an offset of making a lot money. As it will be looked into...
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...History 124 7 November 2012 Coal Power and the Upper Big Branch Mining Disaster Coal was a major energy source for the United States throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries during the Industrial Revolution (Yale.edu). Even though it was a major energy source, coal has caused many problems with the environment and the people of the United States. Many disasters have occurred because of the safety regulations of coal mines. The safety regulations and conditions of coal mines have caused harm to people through death and poverty and has caused harm to the environment through pollution of the air and water over the years. The history of where coal was mined can help us understand how a disaster can happen in West Virginia or anywhere else. Coal was first recorded in the United States in 1663-1664 (netl-history). The coal shows up on a map of the Illinois River (netl-hisoty). Then in 1701 coal was found on the James River (netl-history). The James River is now Richmond, Virginia (netl-history). Several “coal mines” were shown on a map of the upper Potomac River by 1736 (netl-history). The upper Potomac River is now the border of Maryland and West Virginia (netl-history). The first commercial coal production began in 1748 from mines around the Richmond, Virginia area (netl-hisotry). In the late 1700s coal was starting to be mined at Mount Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (netl-history). Over time coal was discovered in many different locations. It was...
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...INTRO: Coal is mined in every state in Australia. Mainly in Queensland, New south wales and Victoria. About 75% of mines of coal in Australia are exported to mostly to eastern Asia. The coal exported to eastern Asia is mainly used in electricity generation. There are 4 important uses of coal production. Coal mining has many negative impacts on the environment, it can also have severe physical health effects. Economically black coal is a great resource, there have been reports that over 48.8 billion tonnes of the black coal has been sold. Over 96% of these sales were from New South Wales and Queensland. PARAGRAPH 1: There are many types of coal production. However there are only 4 significant uses of coal. Firstly, steel production (liquid fuel), Cement manufacturing. Thermal coal or which is commonly known as steam coal is used for power generation. Lastly, coking coal is in the use of steel production PARAGRAPH 2: In cement manufacturing coal is used as an energy source during the production. Energy is needed in copious amounts to make cement....
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...was really shocked at how much damage we are doing to the water systems in our country through the process of open cast coal mining. I understand that mining does create jobs and it is necessary at this present moment in time, but the sooner renewable energy sources are developed, the better for the world. In the following report, I will discuss different types of open cast coal mining, the effects of open cast coal mining on the environment as well as the financial implications of associated with environmental management. OPEN CAST COAL MINING What is open cast coal mining? A simple answer to this question is that when a coal seam is found less that 50m - 80m from the surface of the earth, then the coal is mined from the surface of the earth. There are several different methods of doing this. These are open pit mining and strip mining. The types of mining mentioned above begin on the earth's surface and keep exposure to the surface until the mine is closed. These types of mines can reach depths of 600m or more and because of this, the sides are generally stepped or benched for safety reasons. Because of this type of mining and because of the fact that sometimes the depth of the mines can go below the water table, the effects on the environments are great. Open pit mining: - This method is used when a steeply dipping seam or seams, or a pipe or the coal makes up the country rock. In this case, the whole ore body is mined, and no...
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...Mining For over centuries, fossil fuels and minerals, which are unrenewable resources and took millions of year to produce under pressure, have played an important roles as raw materials to create human supplies such as: transports, building houses, technology and up to Medicine. However, as the world population is expanding every year, people has depleting an excessive amount of it to satisfied their demands without concerning the impact of their behaviors on the environment. Mining minerals and gold is one of the act that depleting natural resources. Global warming and losing of habitats are the outcome that cause by two type of mining: Strip mining and Underground mining. For better understanding, Strip mining is surface mining by excavate soil and rock for extract underground minerals, which result in destruction and deforestation. Underground mining is a type of mining that allow to extract deeper coal underground. It’s often view to be less destructive than surface mining, but it still cause a major damage to environment. (Green Peace, 2010) One global aftermath that contaminate on environment are dam spill or acid mine drainage (AMD). For mining case, Dam is something that was built to stored toxic waste from mining forever. Acid mine drainage is when the dam spill and toxic waste from mining that were reserved, leak into the water, land surface and evaporate into the air. This issue resulted in damage soil, toxic air and polluted ...
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...In my opinion, I disagree with the use of clean coal because it is nonrenewable, it devastates the environment, and produces high levels of radiation. Most people in West Virginia believe that coal should be kept alive because it is the mass of jobs, but eventually, it will run out. To begin with, there is a infinite supply of coal, and it is nonrenewable. That means that it cannot be replenished, and there is a limited supply of it. So, when all the coal is gone, there will need to be a new energy source. That source would be natural gas. It is just as cheap, if not cheaper, as clean coal. It is also nonrenewable, but is much more abundant than coal and would be in use for longer. Next, coal devastates the environment tremendously....
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...Pollution Research www.atmospolres.com Assessment of air pollution around coal mining area: Emphasizing on spatial distributions, seasonal variations and heavy metals, using cluster and principal component analysis Bhanu Pandey 1, Madhoolika Agrawal 1, Siddharth Singh 2 1 2 Laboratory of Air Pollution and Global Climate Change, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi–221005, India Environmental Management Group, Central Institute of Mining & Fuel Research (CSIR), Barwa road, Dhanbad–826015, India ABSTRACT Jharia Coal field (JCF) in Jharkhand is the richest coal bearing area in India, which contains large quantities of high grade coking coal. The conventional coal fuel cycle is among the most destructive activities on the earth, threatening the health, polluting the air and water, harming the land, and contributing to global warming. The variations in air quality in terms of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter around JCF were evaluated over the period of 2010 and 2011 at five sites during different seasons. Air pollution index (API), calculated on the basis of suspended particulate matter (SPM), SO2 and NO2 concentrations was highest near the coal mining area. The ambient concentrations of heavy metals (in PM10) also showed significant temporal and spatial variations at different sites around coal mining areas. Pollutants dispersion and spatial variations were explained by ...
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...you agree or not on the Coal Mining on Aborlan? Coal mining is very dangerous on our ecosystem. It affects the environment, living organisms, habitats, beautiful sceneries, and landscapes that we have on Aborlan. Coal Mining can also killed innocent miners. For these reasons, I don’t agree on the coal mining that is happening on the Aborlan. Coal is the most important source of fuel. In the process of development, coal mining is one of the major industries, which is contributing towards the destruction of the environment. It causes dangerous damages on water, soil, animals, plants and other part of ecosystem. Coal mining affects the ground water by contaminating it. Contamination will happen when the amount of excess water that is used in mining is release into the drainage system and seep by the soil. More so, there is formation of sulfuric acid when the minerals are oxidized with air. This will lead to formation of acidic rain that may decay or crust the roofs of the houses and also increase the acidity of the soil leading to infertility of soils. When burning the coal to make a product it includes nitrogen dioxide, which leads to formation of photochemical smog and acid after oxidation with air. It can be the cause of respiratory diseases to both human beings and animals. Also, coal mining can’t provide the energy that we need for a life time. So, we should stop the coal mining on the Aborlan as early as we can, before all these dangerous effects happen to us. Alternative...
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...Coal mining in South Africa plays a significant role in the country’s economy as it is responsible for nearly three quarters of Eskom’s fuel supply. The industry is also responsible for supplying the coal-to-liquids (CTL) industry, developed by the South African fuel company, SASOL, who produces around 35% of the country’s liquid fuel. It is centered on the Highveld, with roughly 60% of the country’s deposits located in eMalahleni (Witbank) and surrounding areas. The largest coal deposits in South Africa are to be found in the Ecca Group. The Ecca Group covers around two thirds of South Africa and contains more than a third of all coal reserves in the Southern Hemisphere. Some coal fields in South Africa are Waterberg, Highveld, Witbank, Ermelo, Utrecht and Klip River Coal fields. South Africa makes extensive use of coal for electricity generation in its domestic economy as well as exporting approximately 28% of its coal production, mainly through the Richards Bay Coal Terminal, making South Africa the fourth-largest coal exporting country in the world. By international standards, South Africa's coal deposits are relatively shallow with thick seams, which make them easier and usually cheaper to mine. There has been a decline in high-quality reserves in recent years resulting in an increased political and industrial push for the application of technical advances to extend the life of major coal deposits. There are 2 processes in how coal is mined, namely: surface mining and...
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...nonrenewable resources of energy have an impact on the biological diversity or health of the environment, in many ways. The food waste is thrown away and makes it into landfills it rots and creates methane gases. These methane gases create a “potent greenhouse gas with 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide” ,according to the EPA(2013). The positive side of food waste if properly recycled is can be turned into compost and help improve soil by increasing the drought resistance and reducing the need for additional fertilizers and pesticides. By reducing the need for pesticides, one would be helping reduce the effects that these dangerous chemicals can have on humans and the environment. Although intended to be good, pesticides have been linked to multiple health problems such as headaches, dizziness, systemic poisoning and sometimes even cancer. These are just the effects on human life, the effects on the environment include air pollution, killing of actual beneficial insects such as worms for the soil and reducing vital nutrients for soil such as nitrogen and phosphorus (“Toxic Action Center”, 2012). The impacts from pesticides and food waste are dangerous to the environment, but they do not compare to the impacts from the mining and use of coal. Coal mining can is responsible for destroying very large areas of land and even the removal of whole mountaintops. After the mining is complete, there is no more top soil and rain water seeps down to the sulfide minerals...
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...Case Study 1: Community Relations Queensland farmers vow to lock out coal seam gas drillers from their properties 1. Issues 1.1 Farmer and community protest The farmers, the community and activists from Dalby to west of Miles and Tara (QLD) protest against coals seam gas (CSG) mining operations and they have locked the gates to their property for the CSG companies Santos, Origin and Shell. The farmers fear the possible negative effects on their farmland and the loss of their organic certification. 1.2 Water pollution and green house gas emission CSG mining has possible negative impacts on the environment such as water and soil pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases. Especially the water that is used in the mining operations contains a high amount of salt and possible toxic chemicals when it reaches the surface. Specialists fear that the underground water supply of the Surat Basin can face possible irreversible damages (ABC, 2012). 1.3 Frustration and distrust The farmers, the community and the activists feel like the CSG companies ride roughshod over them rather than working co-operatively together. This behavior results in distrust and frustration of the affected people towards the companies and their projects. 1.4 Change in government The government provides the licenses for coal seam gas mining operations based on the regulation of the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act (Australian Government, 2011). The change in power in the...
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...Lab 4 – Energy Sources and Alternative Energy Experiment 1: The Effects of Coal Mining |Table 1: pH of Water Samples | |Water Sample |Initial pH |Final pH (after 48 hours) | |Pyrite |6 |7 | |Activated Carbon |6 |6 | |Water |6 |6 | POST LAB QUESTIONS 1. Develop hypotheses predicting the effect of pyrite and coal (activated carbon) on the acidity of water? a. Pyrite hypothesis = If pyrite is in the water source, then it will make the specimen more acidic b. Coal (activated carbon) hypothesis = If coal is in the water source, then it will make the specimen less acidic 2. Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept each hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this. a. Pyrite hypothesis accept/reject = Rejected, The hypothesis “If pyrite is in the water source, then it will make...
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...Issue/Coal Mining in Arkansas Kathleen Hastings November 7, 2013 SCI 275 Clifford Blizard Community Environmental Issue/Coal Mining in Arkansas “Coal Production in Arkansas is not often done, but there are some cases in Arkansas. In 2004, the state produced about seven thousand short tons of coal. Arkansas was twenty sixth in the nation in coal production according to the National Mining Association. Arkansas does have many coal deposits; however, the most accessible coal has already been mixed. There is bituminous coal present in the Arkansas River Valley. There are about 9 billion tons of lignite coal in the eastern and southern parts of Arkansas. We get most of our coal from Wyoming. Arkansas used over fifteen million short tons of coal for electricity in 2004. (SourceWatch) Active Coal Mining sites are inspected each month by personal from the Russellville Field Office. When infractions are noted, notices of violation and cessation orders may be issued by the site’s inspector.” (Coal Program, Wayne Van Buren) “The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) established performance standards for coal mining operations for the express purpose of protecting society and the environment from the adverse effects of surface coal mining operations. The Arkansas Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Code (ASCMRC) was adopted by Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission on July 25, 1980.” (Coal Program, Wayne Van Buren) “The Arkansas Surface Coal Mining...
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...Aun Younis Ecosystems Ecology Fall 2014 Final Exam 1. A. Discuss two sources of ecosystem acidity in Pennsylvania associated with human activities. Note the associated ecosystem and community effects, mechanisms of these effects, and how acidity changes with acid neutralizing capacity or buffering of some environments vs. others. B. How are these sources related to one another, i.e. what is the root societal practice that has resulted in these sources of acidity? C. What other environmental and human health issues are related to this societal use or practice? The main sources of acidity in Pennsylvania are: 1. Acid mine drainage. 2. Acid rain. 1. Acid Mine Drainage (AMD): It is also identified as acid rock drainage (ARD). The acidic outflow comes from mine waste rock, tailings, and other mine structures. It happens when metal sulfides (primarily pyrite (FeS2)) are oxidized by water and oxygen. The metal sulfides are oxidized to release H+ ions and sulfuric acid...
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...the cost; people are noticing that ones public service utility bill is on the rise. People need to get the information that is needed to conserve energy. People need to realize that the negative effects that non renewable energy has on the planet. Non renewable energy resources are coal, oil, and natural gas. Coal resources are too expensive to expand and have the possibility to supply an efficient amount of coal to last. Coal use has risen in the last 4 years. Coal is a difficult non renewable resource to obtain because it is accessed by mining. Oil is a combustible energy that is access by drilling and pumping. When non renewable energy has been used up it can not be replaced. The living factor is that mining damages existing vegetation and the land is sensitive to the wind destruction causing air pollution. There is also water destruction which causes pollution to the waterways and destruction to aquatic habitats. Farmers are concerned about the water depletion in the underground due to the open-pit gold mining which uses a large amount of water. The deeper the miner dig it is likely the pump will pump out the water making the pit dry. The Environmentalists would prefer that mining operation would reinjection the water back into the ground. Mining has contaminated rivers and streams. Rocks that contain minerals are highly concentrated with metals that contain arsenic and lead. Sulfuric acid that dissolves the metals...
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