Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Coal

Can Humanity Afford to Use It? Can Humanity Afford Not to Use It?

  • Chapter
Quantitative Reasoning in the Context of Energy and Environment

  • 537 Accesses

Abstract

Coal is the fossil fuel that powered the Industrial Revolution and changed humanity’s life on Earth in ways that are hard to imagine. Before tapping into this energy source, life was hard, work was never ending and back breaking, food supplies were uncertain, and one’s world was defined pretty much by the places one could walk to (Baer, 1998).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Baer, A. (1998). Down the common: A year in the life of a medieval woman. M. Evans & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • BP. (2013). Statistical Review of World Energy 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  • Copeland, C. (2008). Mountaintop mining: Background on current controversies (9 pp). Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Copeland, C. (2013). Controversies over redefining “fill material” under the Clean Water Act (10 pp), Congressional Research Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • DOE. (2002). Pinon pine IGCC power project—A DOE assessment (39 pp). Morgantown, WV: Department of Energy.

    Google Scholar 

  • DOE. (2007). Cost and performance baseline for fossil energy plants—Volume 1: Bituminous coal and natural gas to electicity final report (516 pp). Morgantown, WV: Department of Energy.

    Google Scholar 

  • EIA. (2011). Wyoming produces almost as much coal as the next seven states combined. Washington, DC: Today in Energy, Energy Information Administration. Retrieved March 1, 2014, from http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=2770

    Google Scholar 

  • EIA. (2012). Annual energy review 2011. Energy Information Administration: Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (1999). Nitrogen oxides (NOx), why and how they are controlled (57 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2001). Cost of selective catayltic reduction (SCR) application for NOx control on coal-fired boilers (23 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2003a). Dry electrostatic precipitator (ESP)—Wire-pipe type (5 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2003b). Dry electrostatic precipitator (ESP)—Wire-plate type (6 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2003c). Fabric filter—Mechanical shaker cleaned type (6 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2003d). Fabric filter—Pulse-jet cleaned type (6 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2003e). Fabric filter—Reverse-air cleaned type (7 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2003f). Flue gas desulfurization (FGD)—Wet, spray dry, and dry scrubbers (6 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2003g). Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) (5 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2003h). Wet electrostatic precipitator (DSP)—Wire-pipe type (4 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2003i). Wet electrostatic precipitator (ESP)—Wire-plate type (6 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2011). The effects of mountaintop mines and valley fills on aquatic ecosystems of the central appalachian coalfields (153 pp). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2014a). Cross-state air pollution rule (CSAPR). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved March 6, 2014, from http://www.epa.gov/airtransport/CSAPR/

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA. (2014b). National ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved March 4, 2014, from http://epa.gov/air/criteria.html

    Google Scholar 

  • GEA. (2012). Global energy assessment—Toward a sustainable future, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, 1865 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirsch, R. L., Bezdek, R., & Wendling, R. (2005). Peaking of world oil production: Impacts, mitigation, and risk management. Pittsburgh, PA: National Energy Technology Laboratory, Department of Energy.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Höök, M., & Aleklett, K. (2010). A review on coal-to-liquid fuels and its coal consumption. International Journal of Energy Research, 34(10), 848–864.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Humphries, M. (2003). U.S. coal: A primer on the major issues (40 pp). Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaireth, S., & Huleatt, M. (2012). Australian coal resources (2012 ed.). Canberra, ACT: Geoscience Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, N. R. (2010). Genesis of thick coal deposits and their unique angular relationships: Powder River Basin (55 pp). Wyoming State Geological Survey. Report of Investigations No. 60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenney, R. (2007). Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, United States.

    Google Scholar 

  • McClurg, J. E. (1988). Peat forming wetlands and the thick Powder River Basin coals. Casper, WY: Wyoming Geological Association. 39th Field Conference Guidebook, 229–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meltz, R. (2007). The supreme court’s climate change decision: Massachusetts v. EPA (6 pp). Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohr, S., Höök, M., Mudd, G., & Evans, G. (2011). Projection of long-term paths for Australian coal production—Comparisons of four models. International Journal of Coal Geology, 86(4), 329–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, R. (2007). Energy transitions: A curious history (17 pp). Stanford, CA: Stanford University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, D. L. (2000). Mountaintop mining and proposed rule change will waste Clean Water Act. National Wetlands Newsletter, 22(4), 12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schimm, B. (2001). Efficiency with surface miners. World Coal, 10, 15–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schweinfurth, S. P. (2003). Coal—A complex natural resource. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1143 (51 pp). Reston, VA: U.S. Geological Survey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schweinfurth, S. P. (2009a). Chapter C: An introduction to coal quality (20 pp). U.S.G.S. Professional Paper 1625-F: The National Coal Resource Assessment Overview. U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schweinfurth, S. P. (Ed.). (2009b). Chapter C: An introduction to coal quality (20 pp). U.S.G.S. Professional Paper 1625-F: The National Coal Resource Assessment Overview. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.

    Google Scholar 

  • SEPC. (n.d.). John W. Turk, Jr. Power Plant, pp. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen, B., & Fama, M. D. (2001). Geomechanics and highwall mining. World Coal, 10(2), 35–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stranges, A. N. (2001). Germany’s synthetic fuel industry 19-27-1945. Energeia, 12(5), 1–2, 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tao, Z., & Li, M. (2007). What is the limit of Chinese coal supplies—A STELLA model of Hubbert Peak. Energy Policy, 35(6), 3145–3154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, L. (2002). Coal geology (384 pp). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vasireddy, S., Morreale, B., Cugini, A., Song, C., & Spivey, J. J. (2011). Clean liquid fuels from direct coal liquefaction: Chemistry, catalysis, technological status and challenges. Energy & Environmental Science, 4(2), 311–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, S. (2001). Highwall miners keep the coal flowing. World Coal, 10(12), 20–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • WCA. (2013a). Coal market & transportation. World Coal Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • WCA. (2013b). Coal statistics. World Coal Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wickham, J., Wood, P. B., Nicholson, M. C., Jenkins, W., Druckenbrod, D., Suter, G. W., … Amos, J., 2013. The overlooked terrestrial impacts of mountaintop mining. BioScience, 63(5), 335–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe, M. E., & Wickstrom, L. (2008). Coal (9 pp). Educational Leaflet No. 8. Ohio Geological Survey. Retrieved October 28, 2014 from http://minerals.ohiodnr.gov/portals/minerals/pdf/coal/el08.pdf

  • Yang, C. -J., & Jackson, R. B. (2013). China’s synthetic natural gas revolution. Nature Climate Change, 3(10), 852–854.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia Southern University, USA

    Robert Mayes

  2. University of Wyoming, USA

    James Myers

Authors
  1. Robert Mayes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. James Myers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Sense Publishers

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Mayes, R., Myers, J. (2014). Coal. In: Quantitative Reasoning in the Context of Energy and Environment. SensePublishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-527-4_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation