In the Rubble: The True Costs of Coal

These flashcards focus on key vocabulary and concepts related to coal, its extraction, usage, and environmental impact as covered in the lecture notes.

Primary Energy

The energy contained in natural resources such as coal, oil, sunlight, wind, and enriched uranium.

Secondary Energy Sources

Energy forms like electricity, gasoline, and heat that result from converting primary energy sources.

Energy Return on Investment (EROI)

A measure of energy efficiency; it indicates how much energy is obtained from a source compared to the energy invested in extracting it.

Mountaintop Removal

A coal mining technique that involves clear-cutting forests and blasting off mountain tops to expose coal seams.

Acid Mine Drainage

Water that becomes contaminated with toxins from mining operations, often impacting groundwater and surrounding ecosystems.

Reclamation

The process of restoring a mined area to a state close to its pre-mining conditions, which is often challenging and sometimes impossible.

Coal Slurry

A mixture of water and magnetite powder used to separate coal from rock in mining processes.

Fossil Fuels

Natural resources formed from ancient organisms; includes coal, oil, and natural gas, all of which are non-renewable.

Thermal Pollution

The increase in water temperature caused by industrial processes, potentially harming aquatic ecosystems.

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)

A method of reducing pollution from coal emissions by capturing CO2 before it is released into the atmosphere.

Lignite

A type of coal with low carbon content that produces less energy per kilogram compared to other coals.

Bituminous Coal

A type of coal that has a higher carbon content than lignite, producing more energy.

Anthracite Coal

The highest-carbon content type of coal, known for its high energy production efficiency.

Eutrophication

The excessive growth of algae in water bodies due to nutrient pollution, leading to oxygen depletion.

Environmental Impact Statement

A document that outlines the potential positive and negative environmental impacts of federal actions.

Reserves-to-Production (R/P) Ratio

A ratio used to estimate how long a primary energy source will last based on current production levels.