As coal is considered as a substitute for other fuels, more serious attention is being given to the environmental impacts of the whole coal fuel cycle: mining, transport, storage, combustion and conversion. This volume presents an up-to-date account of these environmental impacts and the recent developments to combat and control them. A feature of the book is the way in which it discusses not only the experience and developments in North America and Western Europe but also presents much information made available for this study on the developments in the socialist countries of Eastern Europe.

Coal will continue to provide a major portion of energy requirements in the United States for at least the next several decades. It is imperative that accurate information describing the amount, location, and quality of the coal resources and reserves be available to fulfill energy needs. It is also important that the United States extract its coal resources efficiently, safely, and in an environmentally responsible manner. A renewed focus on federal support for coal-related research, coordinated across agencies and with the active participation of the states and industrial sector, is a critical element for each of these requirements. Coal focuses on the research and development needs and priorities in the areas of coal resource and reserve assessments, coal mining and processing, transportation of coal and coal products, and coal utilization.

Concern over the effects of airborne pollution, green house gases, and the impact of global warming has become a worldwide issue that transcends international boundaries, politics, and social responsibility. The 2nd Edition of Coal Energy Systems: Clean Coal Technology describes a new generation of energy processes that sharply reduce air emissions and other pollutants from coal-burning power plants. Coal is the dirtiest of all fossil fuels. When burned, it produces emissions that contribute to global warming, create acid rain, and pollute water. With all of the interest and research surrounding nuclear energy, hydropower, and biofuels, many think that coal is finally on its way out. However, coal generates half of the electricity in the United States and throughout the world today. It will likely continue to do so as long as it's cheap and plentiful [Source: Energy Information Administration]. Coal provides stability in price and availability, will continue to be a major source of electricity generation, will be the major source of hydrogen for the coming hydrogen economy, and has the potential to become an important source of liquid fuels. Conservation and renewable/sustainable energy are important in the overall energy picture, but will play a lesser role in helping us satisfy our energy demands today. Dramatically updated to meet the needs of an ever changing energy market, Coal Energy Systems, 2nd Edition is a single source covering policy and the engineering involved in implementing that policy. The book addresses many coal-related subjects of interest ranging from the chemistry of coal and the future engineering anatomy of a coal fired plant to the cutting edge clean coal technologies being researched and utilized today. A 50% update over the first edition, this new book contains new chapters on processes such as CO2 capture and sequestration, Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems, Pulverized-Coal Power Plants and Carbon Emission Trading. Existing materials on worldwide coal distribution and quantities, technical and policy issues regarding the use of coal, technologies used and under development for utilizing coal to produce heat, electricity, and chemicals with low environmental impact, vision for utilizing coal well into the 21st century, and the security coal presents. - Clean Liquids and Gaseous Fuels from Coal for Electric Power - Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems - Pulverized-Coal Power Plants - Advanced Coal-Based Power Plants - Fluidized-Bed Combustion Technology - CO2 capture and sequestration

Environmental Implications of Expanded Coal Utilization focuses on the increasing consideration of coal as an alternative source of energy. This book comes as an answer to the issues on health and environment regarding the extraction, production, and use of coal. Composed of nine chapters, the selection starts by underlining the potential prospects for coal, which plays a vital role in meeting energy demands. The book also shows that problems have evolved regarding the use of coal, including land disturbance and increased land occupation due to mining. The text also notes that the international trade of coal will surely generate waste products, and some of which can be the result of poor transportation and handling. The book focuses on coal gasification and liquefaction and emphasizes that the processes involved must be carefully understood in order to avoid the environmental impacts of coal use. Attempts have been made to establish a conceptual framework to be used in assessing the health and environmental health impacts of the conversion and utilization of coal. Relative to this, discussions that follow include the trace elements that are the products of coal combustion and conversion and also coal derived carbon compounds. Another sector is focused on the evaluation of the effects of emissions on human health, especially of workers in the industry. The effects of the utilization of coal on communities are also considered. The text is a vital source of information to those involved in the research on the use of coal as alternative source of energy.

Coal Combustion Products (CCPs): Their Nature, Utilization and Beneficiation is a valuable resource for engineers and scientists from the coal, cement, concrete, and construction industries seeking an in-depth guide to the characteristics, utilization, beneficiation, and environmental impacts of coal combustion by-products. Researchers in universities working in this area will also find much to expand their knowledge. The book provides a detailed overview of the different waste materials produced during power generation from coal, exploring their nature, beneficiation techniques, applications, and environmental impacts. Strong focus is placed on coal fly ash, bottom ash, and flue gas desulfurization materials, and their employment in cement, concrete, gypsum products, aggregates, road construction, geotechnics, and agriculture, among other products and industries. Part 1 focuses on the nature of coal ashes, with chapters on their origin, generation, and storage, both in ponds and landfill. The coal combustion by-products produced as a result of clean coal technologies are the focus of the final chapter in the section. The next group of chapters in Part 2 considers the utilization of different waste materials, including the key products coal fly ash, bottom ash, and flue gas desulfurization materials. This is followed by a contribution reviewing the latest research into innovative and advanced uses for coal ash. After an introduction to ash quality problems and quality monitoring, Part 3 concentrates on the essential area of by-product beneficiation techniques, in other words how to maximize the quality of materials for the end user. Topics covered include separation methods, thermal processing, and chemical passivation. The final section of the book addresses environmental issues, including the use of coal combustion by-products in green construction materials and the essential health and safety considerations associated with their use.

The United States and China are the world's top two energy consumers and, as of 2010, the two largest economies. Consequently, they have a decisive role to play in the world's clean energy future. Both countries are also motivated by related goals, namely diversified energy portfolios, job creation, energy security, and pollution reduction, making renewable energy development an important strategy with wide-ranging implications. Given the size of their energy markets, any substantial progress the two countries make in advancing use of renewable energy will provide global benefits, in terms of enhanced technological understanding, reduced costs through expanded deployment, and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to conventional generation from fossil fuels. Within this context, the U.S. National Academies, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), reviewed renewable energy development and deployment in the two countries, to highlight prospects for collaboration across the research to deployment chain and to suggest strategies which would promote more rapid and economical attainment of renewable energy goals. Main findings and concerning renewable resource assessments, technology development, environmental impacts, market infrastructure, among others, are presented. Specific recommendations have been limited to those judged to be most likely to accelerate the pace of deployment, increase cost-competitiveness, or shape the future market for renewable energy. The recommendations presented here are also pragmatic and achievable.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) was given a mandate in the 1992 Energy Policy Act (EPACT) to pursue strategies in coal technology that promote a more competitive economy, a cleaner environment, and increased energy security. Coal evaluates DOE's performance and recommends priorities in updating its coal program and responding to EPACT. This volume provides a picture of likely future coal use and associated technology requirements through the year 2040. Based on near-, mid-, and long-term scenarios, the committee presents a framework for DOE to use in identifying R&D strategies and in making detailed assessments of specific programs. Coal offers an overview of coal-related programs and recent budget trends and explores principal issues in future U.S. and foreign coal use. The volume evaluates DOE Fossil Energy R&D programs in such key areas as electric power generation and conversion of coal to clean fuels. Coal will be important to energy policymakers, executives in the power industry and related trade associations, environmental organizations, and researchers.

By making available the almost unlimited energy stored in prehistoric plant matter, coal enabled the industrial age – and it still does. Coal today generates more electricity worldwide than any other energy source, helping to drive economic growth in major emerging markets. And yet, continued reliance on this ancient rock carries a high price in smog and greenhouse gases. We use coal because it is cheap: cheap to scrape from the ground, cheap to move, cheap to burn in power plants with inadequate environmental controls. In this book, Mark Thurber explains how coal producers, users, financiers, and technology exporters drive this supply chain, while fragmented environmental movements battle for full incorporation of environmental costs into the global calculus of coal. Delving into the politics of energy versus the environment at local, national, and international levels, Thurber paints a vivid picture of the multi-faceted challenges associated with continued coal production and use in the twenty-first century.