Some Environmental Considerations
Impact of Coal mining
Surface, or strip mines, are the source of about 70% of the coal that is mined in Canada. These mining operations remove the soil and rock above coal deposits
One surface mining technique that has a major affect on the environment is mountain top removal and valley fill mining, where the tips of mountains have been removed using a combination of explosives and mining equipment and deposited into nearby valleys. As a result, the landscape is changed, and streams may be covered with a mixture of rock and dirt. The water draining from these filled valleys may contain pollutants that can harm aquatic wildlife downstream. While mountain top mining has been around since the 1970's, its use became more widespread and controversial since the 1990's. |
Underground mines have less overall impact on the environment than surface mines. The most serious impact of underground mining may be the methane gas that has to used to make the mines safe to work in. Methane is a strong greenhouse gas. In 2009 methane emissions from underground mines accounted for about 10% of total Canadian methane emissions and 1% of total Canadian greenhouse gas emissions. Surface mines contributed about 2% of Canadian
methane emissions. The ground above mine tunnels can collapse, and acidic water can drain from abandoned underground mines. Underground coal mining is a dangerous profession, and coal miners can be injured or killed in mining accidents, especially in countries without strict safety regulations and procedures. Miners can also get black lung disease from the coal dust in the mines. |
The problem with coal
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Reducing Coal in our environment
Industry has found several ways to reduce sulfur, nitrogen oxides, and other impurities from coal. They have found more effective ways of cleaning coal after it is mined, and coal consumers have shifted towards greater use of low sulfur coal.
Power plants use flue gas desulfurization equipment, also known as "scrubbers," to clean sulfur from the smoke before it leaves their smokestacks. In addition, industry and government have cooperated to develop technologies that can remove impurities from coal or that make coal more energy-efficient so less needs to be burned.
Power plants use flue gas desulfurization equipment, also known as "scrubbers," to clean sulfur from the smoke before it leaves their smokestacks. In addition, industry and government have cooperated to develop technologies that can remove impurities from coal or that make coal more energy-efficient so less needs to be burned.