Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
• 1 point: Soot is made up of carbon and is released as particulate matter from the incomplete combus-
tion of coal. This is a component of industrial smog.
B. Discuss three positive economic effects of coal mining (3 points maximum):
• 1 point: Job creation. For example, in Wyoming almost 7,000 people are employed in coal mining,
and the average income for an employee is almost double that of the state's average annual income.
• 1 point: Taxes paid to the state and federal governments. This money is then used for programs such
as education and infrastructure.
• 1 point: Money from exports. Because the United States is the second-largest coal producer in the
world, the export of this resource is important for other countries. Some countries, such as Japan
and South Korea, do not have their own supply or have a very minimal supply, but they still use coal
as an energy source.
• 1 point: Commerce brought to local communities through living activities, such as home sales and
rentals, food consumption, and entertainment.
• 1 point: Decreased reliance on heavily taxed, imported fuel sources.
C. Explain one way in which coal is mined (1 point maximum):
• 1 point: Surface mining removes the soil and rock surface over a large amount of land. This is used
when deposits are located relatively close to the surface. Once the mineral deposit is completely ex-
tracted, the hole is refilled with the original soil and rock.
• 1 point: Mountaintop removal is just as it sounds: The tops of mountains are blasted off in order to
access the resource. This technique is common in the coal mines of the Appalachian Mountains.
• 1 point: Placer mining uses water to separate the heavier minerals from lighter mud and debris. Be-
cause many deposits are formed in riverbeds, this process uses naturally running water to make the
initial separation.
• 1 point: Open pit mining involves digging up the land in order to reach the desired resource. The pits
can be so large that the sides are terraced in order to allow trucks to get in and out. Open pits are
usually called quarries.
• 1 point: Subsurface mining creates shafts deep underground in order to extract resources from pock-
ets or seams. Dynamite blasts and manual labor are used to remove rock and access the resource.
D. Discuss two uses for coal (2 points maximum):
• 1 point: Burning coal provides the heat source for the majority of electricity generation in the United
States.
• 1 point: Coal is used in industrial and manufacturing plants for the production of products such as
ceramics, paper, and chemicals.
• 1 point: Coal is used as coke in the steel industry.
• 1 point: Coal by-products are used for medicines, perfumes, wood preservatives, fungicides, lino-
leum, solvents, and insecticides.
• 1 point: Some indoor heating in commercial and residential buildings uses coal.
E. Explain two terrestrial environmental impacts of coal mining (2 points maximum):
• 1 point: Introducing oxygen and water to rock rich with sulfur allows the formation of sulfuric acid,
which can run off into water sources and seep into the ground, potentially affecting wildlife.
• 1 point: Removal of vegetation and habitat on land above coal deposits can impact local wildlife.
• 1 point: Mining can cause soil erosion.
