Line represents

the approximate

boundary of the

original pond

Original

pond

17

Nonrenewable

Energy

Resources

COAL AND THE ENVIRONMENT

A

bout 300 years ago, industrialists discovered

that burning coal could heat water to drive

steam turbines. That discovery allowed the Industrial

Revolution to occur, transforming almost all aspects of

life for people, first in Europe, then in the Americas,

and now around the word. The downsides of coal—

mining dangers, air and water pollution, and solid

waste—have always been apparent. Through the

centuries, as coal use has increased, people have

developed technologies to manage these problems.

Nonetheless, as long as coal remains a major energy

source, we will constantly struggle with its many

environmental consequences.

In many parts of the world, coal is burned using

old technology, leading to air, water, and ground

contamination. Modern coal burning technology can

eliminate most particulate matter, sulfur, and mercury

from the exhaust of coal-fired power plants. However,

technology to remove carbon dioxide, one of the

biggest environmental threats we face today, is just now

being developed.

Even where technology is highly advanced, large-

scale use of coal can have devastating consequences.

As coal consumption has increased in the United States

over the past five decades, so has the production of fly

ash, a major waste by-product (see inset). On December

22, 2008, a pond containing about 4 million m^3 (140 ft^3 )

of fly ash slurry—water mixed with the ash left

over after coal is burned—broke open in Kingston,

Tennessee, covering 1.2 km^2 (0.5 mi^2 ) of the surrounding

area (see photograph; the bluish-gray material is fly ash

slurry). The spill destroyed houses and roads, and it

contaminated the Emory and Clinch rivers, which feed

the Tennessee River, the Ohio River, and eventually the

Mississippi River before reaching the ocean.

graphingactivity