How does coal affect the environment?

Coal is a sedimentary organic rock, which contains a lot of carbon. This ranges between 40 and 90 percent carbon. The range is solely based on weight. Ancient plants and animals, which get accumulated in moist peat bogs, form coal. When plants die off in a wet area like a swamp, they pile up into peat. In order to accumulate one meter of peat, it takes around 4,000 to 100,000 years. River deltas and costal plains are the best places, where coals are formed.

As time passes by, further deposits compress these peat seams. This process enriches the carbon content of the coal. The coal gets harder and darker in color as more time goes by. There are mainly four types of coal. These four types are based upon energy content and chemical composition. The four kinds are ranked on a continuum from high carbon, high energy to low carbon, low energy content. The contrary types of coals are as follows -

1.Anthracite
2.Bituminous
3.Sub bituminous
4.Lignite

Over the past 500 years coal has served man in various ways. From the times, when it was used for burning clay pottery to this day, where it is used as form of energy resource. Today, coal plants compensate over half of the United State's energy needs.

As our future transportation is to be at least inadequately effected by the electric car cataclysm, people require to appreciate, that what is absolutely immoral with our powerinfrastructure. In order to appreciate this defect, people require to make informed, first. There are many side effects of coal on the environment, which are as follows.

If we look at the source where coal comes from then, the earth's crust comes into mind. The procedure undertaken, in order to harness coal from earth's crust is absolutely conflicting and polluting to the landscape. In order to get down with the extraction procedure, giant pits require to be dug, first. The process of extraction continues until, there is no more coal left to be found. In the end, most of these pits are left empty. These strip mines are starting to dot our country. Every year the number of strip mines are going up. This is adversely affecting the wildlife. The several natural wonders around the world, which have taken thousands of years to form, are being desolated because of this. If this continues, then the future of this world is condemned.

Coal comes from fossil fuels, which consists of hydrocarbons. Coal plants burn coal for numerous operational purposes and they make absolute that it gets burnt entirely. At time when it is not done adequately, the burning procedure releases a bad cocktail of gases into the environment. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and small airborne particles of coal venture into the air we all utter and into our water supply.

There have been estimates, where it is being affirmed that a single coal plant generates carbon dioxide comparable to the identical impact of cutting down as much as 161 million trees. Coal emissions in the atmosphere are also considered a foremost reason of a lot of diseases. For example, chronic bronchitis and asthma have been scientifically proven as side effects of residents, who live close to a power plant.

For more information, please Click Here