Coal
hideCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure. It is composed primarily of carbon along with variable quantities of other elements, chiefly sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.
Coal was formed from layer upon layer of annual plant remains accumulating slowly that were protected from biodegradation by usually acidic covering waters that gave a natural antiseptic effect combating microorganisms and then later mud deposits protecting against oxidization in the widespread shallow seas — mainly during the Carboniferous period — thus trapping atmospheric carbon in the ground in immense peat bogs that eventually were covered over and deeply buried by sediments under which they metamorphosed into coal. In this manner, over time, the chemical and physical properties of the plant remains (believed to mainly have been fern-like species antedating more modern plant and tree species) were changed by geological action to create a solid material.
Coal, a fossil fuel, is the largest source of energy for the generation of electricity worldwide, as well as one of the largest worldwide anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide emissions. Gross carbon dioxide emissions from coal usage are slightly more than those from petroleum and about double the amount from natural gas. Coal is extracted from the ground by mining, either underground or in open pits.
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News tagged with coal
UN climate official warns of Indian energy 'crisis'
Dec 23, 2009 |
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India's reliance on coal means the country is heading for an energy crisis unless it diversifies its sources of power, the chairman of the UN's top climate change panel predicted on Wednesday.
Not easy being green
Dec 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- It was a battle to save a cherished piece of nature from the forces of economic growth. Preservationists formed groups to present their case, and public figures across the country spoke up ...
New research may help to clean drainage from abandoned mines
Dec 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In a quiet green glen near Ashville, Pa., lies a rust-colored pond. A deep, rectangular hole in the ground, it somewhat resembles an Olympic-sized pool. Few people, however, would make the ...
World's mayors tackle climate change on their own
Dec 14, 2009 |
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(AP) -- It isn't easy getting Italy's city dwellers out of their Fiats, off their Vespa scooters and onto bicycles to ride to work, "like here in Copenhagen," says an Italian environmental official.
Blood Enzyme Could Help Realize Clean Coal
Dec 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- An enzyme in our blood that enables our lungs to exhale carbon dioxide could be the key to isolating carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants in order to store them safely underground. A ...
Rich countries 'should pay' to transfer low carbon technology, researchers says
Nov 12, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Rich countries need to pay the full incremental cost of low carbon technology for developing countries to avoid dangerous climate change, say Oxford University researchers.
Ultracapacitors Make City Buses Cheaper, Greener
Oct 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A fleet of 17 buses near Shanghai has been running on ultracapacitors for the past three years, and today that technology is coming to the Washington, DC, for a one-day demonstration. Chinese ...
US coal peak production: Point and counterpoint
Oct 20, 2009 |
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A timely debate on "United States Coal Peak Production" will enliven the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Portland, Oregon, today. Highly regarded experts David B. Rutledge of the California Institute ...
Unexpected amber find rewrites botanical history
Oct 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- An unexpected discovery made by Macquarie University PhD student Sargent Bray about the origin and nature of chemical compounds contained in ancient amber has changed our understanding of ...
Ancient rainforests resilient to climate change
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 01, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Climate change wreaked havoc on the Earth’s first rainforests but they quickly bounced back, scientists reveal today. The findings of the research team, led by Dr Howard Falcon-Lang from Royal ...
Coal-mining hazard resembles explosive volcanic eruption, study shows
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 01, 2009 |
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Worldwide, thousands of workers die every year from mining accidents, and instantaneous coal outbursts in underground mines are among the major killers. But although scientists have been investigating coal outbursts for more ...
'Green' research results in new geopolymer concrete technology
Sep 29, 2009 |
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Dr. Erez Allouche, assistant professor of civil engineering at Louisiana Tech University and associate director of the Trenchless Technology Center, is conducting innovative research on geopolymer concrete ...
Researchers develop initial step toward carbon sequestration
Sep 21, 2009 |
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MIT researchers have developed designs for a new kind of coal-burning power plant, called a pressurized oxy-fuel combustion system, whose carbon-dioxide emissions are concentrated and pressurized so that they ...
Home power plants project unveiled in Germany
Sep 09, 2009 |
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An ambitious project was unveiled in Germany on Wednesday to install mini gas-fired power plants in people's basements and produce as much electricity as two nuclear reactors within a year.
Bioavailable contaminants come from the Exxon Valdez oil catastrophe
Aug 31, 2009 |
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Contaminants from natural coal deposits in the Gulf of Alaska are not easily bioavailable, unlike the crude oil from the Exxon Valdez tanker catastrophe. This clearly disproves the theory that natural coal ...
