Coal emission

Courtesy : https://www.eia.gov

Coal is an important source of energy in the United States, and the Nation’s reliance on this fossil fuel for electricity generation is growing. The combustion of coal, however, adds a significant amount of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere per unit of heat energy, more than does the combustion of other fossil fuels.⁽¹⁾ Because of a growing concern over the possible consequences of global warming, which may be caused in part by increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (a major greenhouse gas), and also because of the need for accurate estimates of carbon dioxide emissions, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has developed factors for estimating the amount of carbon dioxide emitted as a result of U.S. coal consumption.

Carbon dioxide emission factors for U.S. coals have previously been available from several sources. However, those emission factors have shortcomings because they are based on analyses of only a few coal samples. Most are single factors applied to all coals, regardless of rank (i.e., whether anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, or lignite) or geographic origin. Because single factors do not account for differences among coals, they fail to reflect the changing “mix” of coal in U.S. coal consumption that has occurred in the past and will occur in the future. Lacking standardization, the factors previously available also differ widely from each other.⁽²⁾

EIA’s emission factors will improve the accuracy of estimates of carbon dioxide emissions, especially at State and regional levels, because they reflect the difference in the ratio of carbon to heat content by rank of coal and State of origin. EIA’s emission factors are derived from the EIA Coal Analysis File, a large database of coal sample analyses. The emission factors vary significantly by coal rank, confirming a long-recognized finding, and also within each rank by State of origin. These findings were verified statistically.

Two types of carbon dioxide emission factors have been developed. First are basic emission factors covering the various coal ranks by State of origin. These basic emission factors are considered as “fixed” for the foreseeable future until better data become available. Second are emission factors for use in estimating carbon dioxide emissions from coal consumption by State, with consuming-sector detail. These emission factors are based on the mix of coal consumed and the basic emission factors by coal rank and State of origin. These emission factors are subject to change over time, reflecting changes in the mix of coal consumed.

EIA’s emission factors will not only enable coal-generated carbon dioxide emissions to be estimated more accurately than before, but they will also provide consistency in estimates. Energy and environmental analysts will find EIA’s emission factors useful for analyzing and monitoring carbon dioxide emissions from coal combustion, whether they are estimated by the State of origin of the coal, consuming State, or consuming sector.

Coal Combustion and Carbon Dioxide Emissions

The amount of heat emitted during coal combustion depends largely on the amounts of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen present in the coal and, to a lesser extent, on the sulfur content. Hence, the ratio of carbon to heat content depends on these heat-producing components of coal, and these components vary by coal rank.

Carbon, by far the major component of coal, is the principal source of heat, generating about 14,500 British thermal units (Btu) per pound. The typical carbon content for coal (dry basis) ranges from more than 60 percent for lignite to more than 80 percent for anthracite. Although hydrogen generates about 62,000 Btu per pound, it accounts for only 5 percent or less of coal and not all of this is available for heat because part of the hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water vapor. The higher the oxygen content of coal, the lower its heating value.⁽³⁾ This inverse relationship occurs because oxygen in the coal is bound to the carbon and has, therefore, already partially oxidized the carbon, decreasing its ability to generate heat. The amount of heat contributed by the combustion of sulfur in coal is relatively small, because the heating value of sulfur is only about 4,000 Btu per pound, and the sulfur content of coal generally averages 1 to 2 percent by weight.⁽⁴⁾ Consequently, variations in the ratios of carbon to heat content of coal are due primarily to variations in the hydrogen content.

The carbon dioxide emission factors in this article are expressed in terms of the energy content of coal as pounds of carbon dioxide per million Btu. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) forms during coal combustion when one atom of carbon (C) unites with two atoms of oxygen (O) from the air. Because the atomic weight of carbon is 12 and that of oxygen is 16, the atomic weight of carbon dioxide is 44. Based on that ratio, and assuming complete combustion, 1 pound of carbon combines with 2.667 pounds of oxygen to produce 3.667 pounds of carbon dioxide. For example, coal with a carbon content of 78 percent and a heating value of 14,000 Btu per pound emits about 204.3 pounds of carbon dioxide per million Btu when completely burned.⁽⁵⁾ Complete combustion of 1 short ton (2,000 pounds) of this coal will generate about 5,720 pounds (2.86 short tons) of carbon dioxide.

Methodology and Statistical Checks

EIA’s carbon dioxide emission factors were derived from data in the EIA Coal Analysis File, one of the most comprehensive data sources on U.S. coal quality by coalbed and coal-producing county. Most of the samples in the file were taken from coal shipments to U.S. Government facilities, from tipples and from mines. From the more than 60,000 coal samples in the File, 5,426 were identified as containing data on heat value and the ultimate analysis⁽⁶⁾ needed for developing the relationship between carbon and heat content of the coal, that is, the carbon dioxide emission factors. Coal rank was assigned to each sample according to the standard classification method developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials. These data observations (samples) covered all of the major and most of the minor coal-producing States (Table FE1). Except for Arizona, North Dakota, and Texas, all of the major coal-producing States were considered to have a sufficiently large number of data observations to yield reliable emission factors.

The ratio of carbon to heat content was computed for each of the 5,426 selected coal samples by coal rank and State of origin under the assumption that all of the carbon in the coal is converted to carbon dioxide during combustion.⁽⁷⁾ Variations in the ratios were observed across both coal rank and State of origin. Analysis was performed to determine whether these variations were statistically significant and to ensure that other factors pertaining to the samples (that is, the year the sample was collected and the degree of cleaning the sample received) were not significantly responsible for the observed variations.