Coal Vs Natural Gas Essay

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INTRODUCTION This paper was designed to look more in detail at the power industry and the environment. The topics in this paper include: coal and its impact on the environment, natural gas and its impact on the environment, and basic economics. Specifically, this paper seeks answers to the following questions: • What is coal? • What are the environmental impacts of coal? • What is shale natural gas? • What are the environmental impacts of natural gas? • How does coal vs natural gas stack up???? Or why is nat gas better? ? • How does the price of natural gas promote its economic viability to the United States and the Gulf Coast region?also something about building plants is cheaper now BACKGROUND DISCUSSION: WHAT IS COAL? Coal is defined …show more content…

However, the presence of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides (the precursor to sulfuric and nitric acid), as well as chlorides and fluorides (the precursors to hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids), can lead to rainfall with a pH lower than 5.0 (Spath 1999 p. 83) Few plants can tolerate acidic soils, as most plants prefer an alkaline-based environment. Acid rain can cause pronounced effects as it leaches into soil. The acidity of the soil may inhibit seed germination and seedling growth (spath 1999 p.83). As the pH level falls below 3.5, the leaves of plants may be damaged. Another ecological concern when acid rain becomes an issue are lakes, rivers, and aquatic life. The lower the pH level becomes, the greater losses of aquatic life. According to Spath (1999): "At a pH less than 4, lakes become suitable habitats for white moss. This moss forms a thick covering on the lake bottom preventing nutrient exchange between the water and lake sediments (p. 83)." At a pH of 5.4, all fish typically stop reproducing. Lakes with a pH lower than 5 commonly do not contain any fish. Solid Waste

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