Coal


 * THE PROCESS OF COAL ELECTRICITY SUMMARIZED**

Coal is formed when buried plant matter is subjected to high pressure and heat. The coal found today is actually the remains of plants that existed some 300 to 400 million years ago. Because it is composed of organic matter, it is mostly carbon in composition.

Coal is [|mined] by either surface mining or underground mining. It is burned to produce electricity. In a coal power plant, the coal is crushed into tiny pieces by a pulverized and burned in a furnace, releasing a tremendous amount of heat. This heat energy is used to convert water into steam. The steam is directed to cause a series of turbines to turn, producing electricity. The electricity is then [|distributed].


 * PROS AND CONS OF GENERATING ELECTRICITY FROM COAL**
 * **Pros** || **Cons** ||
 * * Coal is currently available at a relatively low cost.
 * Despite being nonrenewable, coal is plentiful to a certain extent for the next few decades.
 * There is already a widespread use of this source for energy, so the use of coal to generate electricity requires no lifestyle change or production of new energy plants.
 * Coal power plants are relatively quick and inexpensive to build and operate. || * Obtaining coal is often very unsafe, a perfect example is found in China’s coal mining. Miners are sometimes killed by explosions, fires, or are crushed as the mine collapses.
 * Coal “produces more [|carbon dioxide] per watt-hour of energy than any other generation method.”
 * Methods of mining coal can be destructive to the land and the people who do the mining...health problems such as silicosis.
 * Coal contains sulphur which when burned, forms sulphuric acid, a culprit of acid rain.
 * This is not a sustainable option in the long run.
 * Burning coal is very dirty process where soot and smoke are produced. Large amounts of particulate matter are liberated. ||