The finite times
- 1. Coal is a hard, black and lumpy rock. Coal can also burn. Before coal becomes hard, black and lumpy, it starts out from large ferns and other plants. Over millions years ago the plants buried under the water and dirt. Heat and pressure turned the dead plants and dead animals into coal. The layer of coal that form are called seams. Coal can take millions of years to make again, so we need to use it carefully. Finite Time We live on a planet with finite resources. How much do you know about coal? Coal comes from dead plants and dead animals over 400 million years ago. People collect it by using machines to dig a big hole for surface mining. For underground mining they built tunnels under the ground. Once it has been gathered, coal comes out of the ground then it goes to processing plant where it is cleaned. Some of larger pieces might be broken to smaller size and it mean that it ready to sold. To make other things you need to burn the coal. A Grade 4 Publication Summer 2013 How is coal collected & modified?
- 2. ; Summer 2013 2 A Grade 4 Publication Fast Facts Why do we depend on the coal industry? This is a very valuable resource because coal is used for energy by burning it in the power plants. Coal also can make plastics and medicines, but if they burn high temperatures it can make steel, concrete and paper. We depend on this industry because they use 5.3 billion tons of coal every year. Also 40% of all the electricity comes from coal. The coal that is left on Earth will last for another 200 years. Now coal is mined in more than 100 countries. For countries, coal mining is important job for a lot of people. How could this resource be managed better? What is the impact of this industry? This industry also harms the environment because coal is also called “dirty” because when coal is burned it make a lot of bad gases. Coal makes more carbon dioxide than any other fossil fuel. Collecting coal is also harmful to the environment because surface mining takes habitat of wild animals away and pollutes water in the area. aaeraareaareaareararae the area. Power plants that use coal must now use scrubbers. These clean out most of sulphur from smoke. Try not to let sulphur get into the air. Ash is left from burning coal is also can be recycled. Ash is also use for landfills. It used to build road, cement and ocean reefs for animals. • Scientist said that is plenty of coal still hidden blow the earth’s surface • Coal makes more carbon dioxide than any other fossil fuel