Post on 18-Dec-2015
KING COAL
Types of Coal• Anthracite- burns hotter and cleaner than
other types of coal. Considered to be the highest quality (dark black in color and very shiny in appearance)
• Bituminous- most common type of coal. (brownish/black in color and dull in appearance)
Types of CoalAnthracite Bituminous
History of Coal Usage• Bronze Age (3000BC-2000BC)- Earliest
evidence of coal being used.• Roman Empire mined and traded coal
(outcropping).• In 1700, 5/6 of the world’s coal was mined in
Britain.
Industrial Revolution• Towards the end of the 1800’s, coal powered
the Industrial Revolution.• Coal was the primary energy source used to
power stream engines.• Majority of homes were heated with coal.• Coal (in the form of coke) was used to make
steel.
Modern Uses of Coal• About 49% of the electricity produced in the
U.S. comes from coal.• Coal is used to make over 200K different
products: insecticides, moth balls, paint thinner, wood preservatives, varnish, insulation, synthetic rubber, artificial silk, TNT, linoleum, baking powder, medicines, billiard balls, artificial sweetener.
Coal Powered Electricity
Coal Mining• U.S. has the largest coal reserves in the world
(22% of the world’s reserves)• U.S. is currently the 2nd largest producer of
coal (16%). China is the #1.• At the current rate of production, U.S.
reserves will last for 240 years.• China’s reserves will last for 36 years.• World reserves will last for 117 years.
U.S Coal Industry• Top 5 coal producing states are: Wyoming,
West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Montana
• 1400 mines employing 88K miners
Mining Methods• The two main forms of coal mining are surface mining and
underground mining.• Surface mining accounts for roughly 2X the amount of coal
produced compared to underground mining.
Underground Mining• Continuous mining (room & pillar or honeycomb)• Longwall
Surface Mining• A.K.A “Strip Mining” or “Mountain Top
Removal Mining”
West Virginia Coal Industry• King Coal- the coal industry is responsible for
about 60% of the total business taxes paid to state of West Virginia
• WV Coal Miners make an average of 68K per year (2X the state average)
Coal, Steel and the Railroad
• Pittsburgh became the steel capital of the U.S. due to its proximity to the coal fields.
• Norfolk & Western (now Norfolk & Southern) and B&O carried coal from the WV coal fields to the ports of Baltimore and Norfolk.
• The growth of Pittsburgh-seam mining was so massive, and so intertwined with coke production for the iron and steel industry, that the late nineteenth and early twentieth century has been called the "Golden Age of King Coal, Queen Coke and Princess Steel."
Pittsburgh Coal Seam
Dangers of Mining• Estimated that in the last 100 years, over 100K
U.S. miners have been killed in job related accidents.
• Dangers include: gas/coal dust explosions, roof collapse, gas poisoning, machinery accidents.
• Black Lung
Monongah Mine Disaster 1907
• Worst mining disaster in U.S. history. Officially 362 killed (unofficially as many as 1000)
Labor Unrest• At the turn of the century, majority of miners
were immigrants from Europe.• Coal companies took advantage of this cheap
labor source.• Work conditions and pay were very poor.
Mine Wars• When miners attempted to unionize in the
early 1900’s, violence erupted.• In 1921 over 10k miners took up arms. (2nd
largest civil uprising next to the Civil War)• Battle of Blair Mountain
Environmental Impact• Air Pollution- green house gases, dust• Water Pollution- acid mine drainage (ACD)• Infrastructure of land- sinkholes• Severe alteration of landscape
Coal Pollution