Coal - A Historical Perspective

Although it had been used to create energy for centuries, the first large-scale use of coal occurred during the Industrial Revolution in England from the mid-eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries. At that time the sky was filled with billowing columns of black smoke, soot covered the towns and cities, and workers breathed the thick coal dust swirling around them. Most people then were not con…

Coal - What Is Coal?

Coal is a black, combustible, mineral solid that develops over millions of years from the partial decomposition of plant matter in an airless space, under increased temperature and pressure. Coal beds, sometimes called seams, are found in the earth between beds of sandstone, shale, and limestone and range in thickness from less than an inch to more than one hundred feet. Approximately five to ten …

Coal - Classifications Of Coal

There are four basic types of coal. Classifications, or "coal ranks," are based on how much carbon, volatile matter, and heating value are contained in the coal. TABLE 4.1 Bituminous coal accounts for the largest share of all coal production; sub bituminous is second. (See Table 4.1.) In 2003 production of all types of coal totaled nearly 1.1 billion short tons. (A short ton of …

Coal - Locations Of Coal Deposits

Coal is found in about 13%, or 458,600 square miles, of the total land area of the United States. (See Figure 4.1.) Geologists have divided U.S. coalfields into three geographical zones: the Appalachian, Interior, and Western regions. The Appalachian region is subdivided into three areas: Northern (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and northern West Virginia); Central (Virginia, southern West Virginia…

Coal - Coal Mining Methods

The method used to mine coal depends on the terrain and the depth of the coal. Prior to the early 1970s, most coal was taken from underground mines. Since that time, however, coal production has shifted from underground mines to surface mines. (See Table 4.1 and Figure 4.2.) Underground mining is required when the coal lies deeper than 200 feet below ground level. The depth of most underground min…

Coal - Coal In The Domestic Market

The EIA noted in its Annual Energy Review 2003 that the nation consumed 558.4 million short tons of coal in 1974. Twenty-nine years later, in 2003, consumption had grown to nearly 1.1 billion short tons. (Figure 4.5 shows the flow of coal in 2003.) The increases in coal consumption were greatest in the electric utility sector, as many existing electric power plants switched to coal from more expen…

Coal - Environmental And Health Concerns About Coal

The negative side of energy use—pollution of the environment—is not a recent problem. In 1306 King Edward I of England so objected to the noxious smoke from London's coal-burning fires that he banned coal's use by everyone except blacksmiths. The enormous scale of today's energy use has increased environmental concerns. Coal-fired electric power plants emit gases…

Coal - Coal Exports

Coal - International Coal Usage

The Annual Energy Review 2003 (2004) reported that world coal production was 1.1 billion short tons in 2002 and accounted for 21% of world energy production. China led the world in coal production, mining just over 1.5 billion short tons, followed by the United States at 1.1 billion short tons. (See Figure 4.8.) Other major producers were India, Australia, Russia, South Africa, Germany, and Poland…

Coal - Future Trends In The Coal Industry

In Annual Energy Outlook 2004 the EIA forecasted that domestic coal production will increase to almost 1.3 billion short tons by 2015 and increase slightly from there to almost 1.4 billion short tons by 2020 and approximately 1.5 billion short tons by 2025. (See Table 4.5.) Domestic consumption is projected to match production, reaching nearly 1.3 billion short tons in 2015, almost 1.4 billion sho…