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Fossil Fuels: Coal
Coal is a non-renewable fossil fuel. Coal is black or brownish-black sedimentary rock made mostly of carbon and hydrocarbons. It is the most abundant fossil fuel produced in the United States and is mined in 27 states. The energy in coal comes from the energy stored by plants that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. For millions of years a layer of dead plants was covered by layers of water and dirt, trapping the energy of the dead plants. The heat and pressure from the top layers turned the plant remains into coal.
About 92 percent of the coal used in the United States, is used for generating electricity. Coal is used to generate about half of all the electricity in the US. The coal is burned to make steam, the steam turns turbines that generate electricity. Coal byproducts are used to make fertilizers, plastics, and tar. Steel is made from processed coal and iron.
Mining coal can have a big impact on the environment in land destruction and pollution to air and water. When coal is burned it releases many pollutants into the air including sulfur, nitrogen oxide (NOx), and mercury. The US coal reserves are estimated to last only a little over 200 years at today's usage levels.
Some of the advantages of coal are it's relative abundance in the US and the existing infrastructure for its use in energy generation.
Coal has its uses in modern society, however as a main source of energy generation the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages.
The Energy Planet: Coal
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