KING COAL

Types of Coal• Anthracite- burns hotter and cleaner than

other types of coal. Considered to be the highest quality (dark black in color and very shiny in appearance)

• Bituminous- most common type of coal. (brownish/black in color and dull in appearance)

Types of CoalAnthracite Bituminous

History of Coal Usage• Bronze Age (3000BC-2000BC)- Earliest

evidence of coal being used.• Roman Empire mined and traded coal

(outcropping).• In 1700, 5/6 of the world’s coal was mined in

Britain.

Industrial Revolution• Towards the end of the 1800’s, coal powered

the Industrial Revolution.• Coal was the primary energy source used to

power stream engines.• Majority of homes were heated with coal.• Coal (in the form of coke) was used to make

steel.

Modern Uses of Coal• About 49% of the electricity produced in the

U.S. comes from coal.• Coal is used to make over 200K different

products: insecticides, moth balls, paint thinner, wood preservatives, varnish, insulation, synthetic rubber, artificial silk, TNT, linoleum, baking powder, medicines, billiard balls, artificial sweetener.

Coal Powered Electricity

Coal Mining• U.S. has the largest coal reserves in the world

(22% of the world’s reserves)• U.S. is currently the 2nd largest producer of

coal (16%). China is the #1.• At the current rate of production, U.S.

reserves will last for 240 years.• China’s reserves will last for 36 years.• World reserves will last for 117 years.

U.S Coal Industry• Top 5 coal producing states are: Wyoming,

West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Montana

• 1400 mines employing 88K miners

Mining Methods• The two main forms of coal mining are surface mining and

underground mining.• Surface mining accounts for roughly 2X the amount of coal

produced compared to underground mining.

Underground Mining• Continuous mining (room & pillar or honeycomb)• Longwall

Surface Mining• A.K.A “Strip Mining” or “Mountain Top

Removal Mining”

West Virginia Coal Industry• King Coal- the coal industry is responsible for

about 60% of the total business taxes paid to state of West Virginia

• WV Coal Miners make an average of 68K per year (2X the state average)

Coal, Steel and the Railroad

• Pittsburgh became the steel capital of the U.S. due to its proximity to the coal fields.

• Norfolk & Western (now Norfolk & Southern) and B&O carried coal from the WV coal fields to the ports of Baltimore and Norfolk.

• The growth of Pittsburgh-seam mining was so massive, and so intertwined with coke production for the iron and steel industry, that the late nineteenth and early twentieth century has been called the "Golden Age of King Coal, Queen Coke and Princess Steel."

Pittsburgh Coal Seam

http://appalachianrailroadmodeling.com/maps/coalrailroadmap1950.jpg

Dangers of Mining• Estimated that in the last 100 years, over 100K

U.S. miners have been killed in job related accidents.

• Dangers include: gas/coal dust explosions, roof collapse, gas poisoning, machinery accidents.

• Black Lung

Monongah Mine Disaster 1907

• Worst mining disaster in U.S. history. Officially 362 killed (unofficially as many as 1000)

Labor Unrest• At the turn of the century, majority of miners

were immigrants from Europe.• Coal companies took advantage of this cheap

labor source.• Work conditions and pay were very poor.

Mine Wars• When miners attempted to unionize in the

early 1900’s, violence erupted.• In 1921 over 10k miners took up arms. (2nd

largest civil uprising next to the Civil War)• Battle of Blair Mountain

Environmental Impact• Air Pollution- green house gases, dust• Water Pollution- acid mine drainage (ACD)• Infrastructure of land- sinkholes• Severe alteration of landscape

Coal Pollution