Researchers combining mining and milling wastes to create fuel ROGER ALFORD / AP 9aug02

Researchers combining mining and milling wastes to create fuel

ROGER ALFORD / AP 9aug02

mindfully.org note:
This is an extremely unhealthy idea, and a prime example of the direction our government is aiming for.

The best solution to our energy and waste problems is to: 1) use less of everything, meaning get rid of those SUVs, TVs, high-powered stereos, etc., and 2) produce power from renewable AND sustainable resources.

Burning coal and wood are extremely unhealthy for a variety of reasons. Coal mining can be extremely hard on the land, water, and people nearby. Burning coal is extremely bad for air quality, and the health of all life on Earth. The waste from burning coal is highly toxic--even radioactive--and cannot be safely disposed of. Cutting trees at the rate being done around the world is extremely bad for the air and water, and human health. The air pollution created by both is extremely hazardous, and the cause of asthma around the world. Dioxin is also dispersed far and near, effecting all life on Earth. The better way to go is to eliminate the burning of fossil fuels and wood and use the wind and sun to create power. The Bush administration's doubt about our ability to power the nation with wind and sun is a selfish one, originating with Bush's and Cheney's desire to profit from these antiquated technologies.

PIKEVILLE, Ky. - Researchers are trying to create fuel for generating plants from the waste products of mining and lumber industries.

Rick Honaker, a University of Kentucky professor, said the project could help get rid of unsightly buildups of lumber mill sawdust as well as gooey coal wastes which have swamped some mining communities. "We need to recover some of this energy we've got just sitting around," Honaker said.

The U.S. Department of Energy put up $500,000 to fund the study in which coal particles, retrieved from the bottom of mine refuse ponds, will be combined with sawdust to form briquettes that could be burned in electric-generating plants.

Huge mounds of sawdust are common across Appalachia, where coal wastes from mining also are abundant. Researchers said mixing and marketing the combined fuel has the potential to generate $84.5 million a year in revenues.

Honaker is involved in the two-year study to determine the feasibility of collecting particles that are washed from coal at preparation plants and disposed of in ponds. One such pond dumped some 300 million gallons of coal sludge in October 2000. The waste poured into nearby communities, polluted water, and killed fish along the Big Sandy River and its tributaries.

Geoffrey Young, assistant director of the Kentucky Division of Energy, said the project could reduce the need for waste ponds. "It has the potential to help both the mining and timber industries in the state by reducing their waste-related costs," Young said. "It can reduce the environmental risks from the two types of waste."

Bill Caylor, president of the Kentucky Coal Association, said combining coal and sawdust waste may benefit both industries. "It would dispose of leftover sawdust and help to pull coal out of these impoundments that were left years ago," he said.

Honaker said sawdust forms a natural bond with coal particles, which will allow the two substances to be easily pressed together into briquettes or inch-long pellets. "It will produce a source of fuel that can be economically transported and also remediate some environmental concerns," he said.

If you have come to this page from an outside location click here to get back to mindfully.org

malignant mesothelioma Medifast Coupons