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Pollution
Pollution
Water
Water
Water from the process of mining and extracting coal contains a high level of acid. Iron sulfide, a byproduct of mining coal, oxidizes when open to the atmosphere, and when mixed with water, raises its pH level to the same as vinegar. Obviously, this can be destructive to aquatic life.
Air
Air
When coal is burned, its exhaust contains particulate including mercury, lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and various other heavy metals. Health impacts can range from asthma and breathing difficulties, to brain damage, heart problems, cancer, neurological disorders, and premature death.
Ground
Ground
Surface mining is not only destructive to the properties of the soil, but also releases a number of chemicals when rainwater runoff washes it into streams. The hard layers of the ground are built suitably for plant life, which keeps dust down.
Coal pollution has been a huge problem since the very early days of its use. It has been linked to asthma, cancer, heart and lung ailments, neurological problems, acid rain, global warming, and other severe environmental and public health impacts.
The breaking down of carbon molecules that enables coal to produce energy, also produces a number of pollutants that can be harmful to public health.
Coal power plants are responsible for 42% of US mercury emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Emissions Inventory, US coal power plants emitted 45,676 pounds of mercury in 2014.
"Just 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury deposited on a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat." -Union of Concerned Scientists
"Just 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury deposited on a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat." -Union of Concerned Scientists
Depletion of Ozone Layer
Depletion of Ozone Layer
In the early 1980's, British scientists in Antarctica noticed an increasing hole in the ozone layer. The ozone layer prevents most harmful ultraviolet light rays from passing through the Earths atmosphere.
These wavelengths cause skin cancer, sunburn, and cataracts, which were projected to increase dramatically as a result of thinning ozone, as well as harming plants and animals.
The main cause of ozone depletion and the ozone hole is manufactured chemicals, especially manufactured refrigerants, solvents, and propellants, or spacecraft fuel. These are referred to as ozone-depleting substances.
These chemicals are transported into the stratosphere by the winds after being emitted from the surface.
Once in the stratosphere, they release halogen atoms that break down ozone into oxygen. Ozone depletion was observed to increase as emissions of halo-carbons increased.
Though the burning of coal and thinning of the ozone layer are not directly connected, the problem of global warming and pollutants being released into the atmosphere is still related to global warming.
Ozone depletion and the ozone hole have generated worldwide concern over increased cancer risks and other negative effects. These concerns led to the adoption of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which bans the production of CFCs, halons and other ozone-depleting chemicals.
The ban came into effect in 1989. Ozone levels stabilized by the mid-1990s and began to recover in the 2000s. Recovery is projected to continue over the next century, and the ozone hole is expected to reach pre-1980 levels by around 2075.
The Montreal Protocol is considered the most successful international environmental agreement to date. Needless to say, without the technology used by scientists to measure levels of the atmosphere, the resulting damage would have been much worse to life on Earth.
Smog
Smog
Taking a step back in time, England from the 1850's to the 1950's was known to produce lots of smoke from its numerous factories, steam railway operations, and the many homes of people who burned coal for heat.
Over the years, this smog became a normal event, with the occasion of smog enveloping all of London, due to little to no wind. Cold weather led Londoners to burn more coal for heat, but after WWII, the quality anthracite coal which contained less sulfur, was exported with lower quality coal becoming the norm for use.
In the greater London area, there were 5 major power stations producing electricity, releasing thousands of tons of pollutants each day. There was also an extremely high output from motor vehicles, especially diesel buses.
In early December, 1952, an anticyclone settled over London, dropping the temperature, and not producing any wind to carry the smoke away. The fog produced mixed with the smoke, giving it a yellow color, allowing an unprecedented accumulation of pollutants.
The "Pea-Souper" was denser and thicker than any other smog, reducing visibility to a few meters. driving was impossible, public transportation and the ambulance service stopped, aside from the underground. The smog caused around 12,000 deaths, most of the victims being very old or very young, or with respiratory problems.
There have been a few instances where weather and smog made treacherous conditions in the United States as well, but it's unlikely to happen today.
Reducing Emissions
Reducing Emissions
Power plants are equipped with scrubbers that remove as many harmful materials as possible from the boiler exhaust. There are 2 types of scrubbers, wet and dry.
Wet scrubbers use a shower of water mixed with types of element absorbing chemicals, when sprayed into a chamber through which the exhaust flows, removes particulate from the gas, such as sulfer.
Dry scrubbers spray a mixture of chemical reagent, a powder, through an exhaust chamber. These chemicals react with exhaust particulate and settle to the bottom, where it's removed.
Future Of Steam Energy
Future Of Steam Energy
In recent years, coal power plants especially have been under the scrutiny of environmental organizations. Despite their high efficiency and low pollution compared to 1950s standards, there's only so much that can be done. The use of coal as a fuel simply creates lots of pollution.
There are several alternatives to steam energy that in fact do not involve coal at all. Nuclear energy is the first alternative that comes to mind, as it has absolutely zero emissions.
Alternatives include natural gas, which burns much cleaner than coal, and creates far less pollution. Another clean solution is concentrated solar energy, which uses reflected sunlight concentrated to a point to make steam.
What if you could pull heat out of the earth and use it for energy? Well, you can, and its basically free. The only thing that needs to be done is capture it. It's Geothermal Energy.
The internal heat of Earth is thermal energy generated from radioactive decay and continual heat loss from Earth's formation. Temperatures at the boundary of the core and mantle may reach over 7,200 °F. The heat in the rock of the mantle forces it to rise in a process similar to boiling water.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Energy
This massive amount of energy heats rock and water in the crust, which turns to steam and rises towards the surface. The steam rising from the earth is captured, and used either for heating or power generation. In most systems, it is vented into the atmosphere, but some actually pump it back underground, known as a binary-cycle plant.
This technology has been around since the 1940's, using heat from hot springs to heat houses via heat exchangers. During the energy crisis of the 1970's, geothermal energy took off in Sweden, and grew to be more accepted since.
Geothermal energy is well suited for household heating, but can also be developed for use in disctrict heating, or office buildings. Over the years it has been developed and adapted to suit these needs, and meets the mark in dependability.
The systems are simple, and maintenance is easy. Geothermal energy has been proved to work flawlessly for years, and its systems are robust. These are all major advantages in modern times, as you can use it for heat as well as work, generating power.
Diagram of a typical geothermal energy production facility. This type returns the water underground, so it's known as a binary-cycle plant.
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
Header image: Craig Power Station
Header image: Craig Power Station
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