Sci/275 Final Project

Sci/275 Final Project

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  • Date Submitted: 09/28/2013 3:15 PM
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Environmental Science Final Project
By: Kristopher Watkins
SCI 275
September 20, 2013
Dianna Gielstra

Introduction
For my final project assignment I have chosen to write an essay about the coal industry
and how coal is a non-renewable source of energy, also the problems we are facing today from
the mining of coal. According to www.fossil.energy.gov, coal has been used for heating since
the cave man era and archeologists have even found evidence that the Romans in England used it
in the second and third century, 100-200 AD. Coal is our most abundant fossil fuel and The
United States has more coal than the entire world has oil. It is believed that there is enough coal
in The United States alone to provide energy for the next 200 to 300 years. However, despite
how long coal has been used and its many uses, coal is not a perfect fuel as it contains and sets
off many harmful pollutants to the environment which even affects living organisms including
humans. Both mining of coal and burning coal each have their own list of environmental
damage that they produce. In this essay I am going to go over the problems and the hazards
caused by coal. The reason I have chose to write about coal is because it is a personal issue for
me. Coal mining is a big industry where I live and provides the majority of the jobs and income
in my town. With the mining of coal being threatened causes serious concern for my
community. Many people would not know how to provide support to their families if coal
mining was abandoned and although there are many hazards associated with coal I also want to
show that it still has beneficial uses and that coal mining should be continued.

Dangers of Burning Coal
Trapped inside coal are traces of impurities like sulfur and nitrogen. When coal burns,
these impurities are released into the air. While floating in the air, these substances can combine
with water vapor in clouds and form droplets...

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