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Advantages & Disadvantages of Using Coal

Some of the Advantages and Disadvantages of using Coal are given below. So let us find out some of the advantages and disadvantages to know more about Coal which are discussed one by one:

Some of the Advantages of Coal are:

  1. Coal is cheaper than other source of energy or othe fossil fuel such as petroleum, natural gas etc,.
  2. Coal is easy to burn and also used for household purposes.
  3. The process of transportation of a Coal is easy and High pressure pipelines or other extra security are also not required.
  4. By-products of burning coal can be used by other industries.
  5. Coal is one of the abundant source of energy compared to other source of energy such as petroleum or natural gas.
  6. Power station of a coal can be build at any place where large amount of coal is available.
  7. Storage and handling of coal is easy.
  8. The capital investment of coal in almost all the  power plants is low.
  9. The coal is being used for electricity production.
  10. Electricity generated using coal is reliable. 

Some of the Disadvantages of Coal are:

  1. Coal energy is a Non renewable and fast depleting form of energy, if it is continually used then it will eventually run out one day.
  2. Coal Mining process pollutes air and damages the environment.
  3. Coal miner have to wear mask during mining, because coal is dangerous to health.
  4. Burning coal is not environment friendly.
  5. Carbon emitted form coal may result in climate change and global warming.
  6. Local wildlife is affected due to cold mining.
  7. Coal burning may also cause pollution to the environment like acid rain. 
  8. We know that coal burning is not environmental friendly because it generates harmful products such as nitrogen, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
  9. Coal burning may also ruin ecosystem.

Explore more Information

What is Coal ?

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock composed generally of carbon and hydrocarbons.

Coal is non-renewable resource which is the most abundant manufactured fossil fuel in the United States.

Coal is the leading source of energy for the generation of electricity all over the world, also anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide releases.

Coal act as abundant resource that has been used for thousands of years to yield energy, mutually in the form of heat and electricity.

What is Coal Tar ?

Coal tar is a black fluid of tremendously high viscosity when coal is carbonized,

Coal tar is among the by-products which manufactured coke or gasified to make coal gas.

Coal tars are compound and variable mixtures of phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heterocyclic compounds.

Paracetamol is the only coal-tar derived analgesic which is still in use today, but industrial phenol is now usually synthesized from crude oil rather than coal tar.

How is Coal Formed ?

Since the 13th century coal is derived from the Old English term col, which means "mineral of fossilized carbon".

Coal consists of high content of carbon and other elements like, sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Coal is a naturally black sedimentary rock occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams.

Anthracite coal is the solider form of coal, can be considered as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to high temperature and pressure.

Types of Coal

Coal is a multifaceted resource which differs in composition even inside the same deposit. There are four different types or ranking based on various levels of coal with differences in energy output as a result of increased temperature,pressure & time

Lignite is a brownish-black coal with great moisture and ash content and the lowest heating value of the four types of coal. It is used for generating electricity.

Effectiveness of Inorganic Coal

Mineral coal is used in producing steam power to drive railway trains, Steam-ships and Steamers.

Steam-power is produced from water boiled by mineral coal. Electricity is easily manufactured from coal by planting thermal stations near coal mines.

Synthetic petrol is manufactured from mineral; coal through a kind of chemical process.

Coal

Definition

Coal is considered to be a fossil fuel which is dark black to brownish in color, rock formed from plants that have been fossilized through the process of oxidation. Coal contains amorphous carbon along with different organic as well some inorganic compounds and liberates carbon dioxide and other harmful gases when burned. Coal is widely used to generate electricity as well as heat.

Global warming

Definition

Global warming can be defined as an increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere that causes changes in the climate which may result from the greenhouse effect. Burning of coal is one fo the cause that generates carbon dioxide and other gases which may  increase temperature. Several other factors are also responsible for global warming.