Want to find radioactive contamination? Take your geiger counter to the Snowy Range coal fields in Wyoming. There’s more radioactivity leaching out there than at any nuclear power plant.
While perhaps a misnomer, I think it is possible to clean up coal plants a bit more by trapping and reusing or properly disposing of the byproducts of burning the coal. It is the carbon released from the burned coal that ends up in the atmosphere as black carbon, which has been scientifically proven to adjust temperatures for short amounts of time. With better filtering and capturing features in place, it is possible to reduce emissions from coal plants.
Eliminate? No.
Nuclear power is quite nice, but everyone has this “not in my backyard” mentality, as if every one of them is a Chernobyl waiting to happen. I think I read somewhere that today’s nuclear power plants can be maintained by people with basic degrees.
Mr. Clean Coal guy shown is misleading……coal is burned clean now by power plants. We have one here on the coast and Mr Clean guy is wearing a white shirt.
I am in favor of developing clean-burning techniques; one suggested decades ago (and tried out in France) is MHD generators which burn superhot.
Unfortunately, we’re not there yet. “Clean coal” is a marketing campaign, not a working process.
Bruce, get off your high horse. We can consider more than one thing at once. He’s not demonizing fossil fuels, he’s pointing out the dishonesty of most of the clean coal promoters.
And kreole, got any actual facts behind your statement? ‘Cause I haven’t seen any.
Correction, Bruce; the industry is moving to places where the government is doing all the sweatshop oppression for them and where there is so much smog people can barely see in front of them on a sunny day.
Living in a chinese city is like smoking three packs of cigarettes a day!
Clean coal is less polluting, but still polluting.
“Clean coal” is a myth. “Clean” nuclear is a myth. Outside a nuclear plant (or inside) is “safe” compared to where uranium is mined- like in my little down with its cancer deaths and “impacts” over decades from mining and processing.
If we keep wasting energy as we do, we WILL need to use nuclear, rather than coal or petroleum, wind, geothermal and other “greens” won’t keep up with demand, that is true.
It is also true that one man’s profit is another man’s pestilence, but billion dollar profits for market traders will never result in a call for the Orkin man.
I think it is the mercury in coal that is the problem.
In 2005 the level was supposed to be lowered from about 50 tons of mercury a year to 15 tons a year.
That is still the main source of mercury in fish.
Motivemagus about 13 years ago
Har! And zing!
Bluejayz about 13 years ago
Want to find radioactive contamination? Take your geiger counter to the Snowy Range coal fields in Wyoming. There’s more radioactivity leaching out there than at any nuclear power plant.
Jaedabee Premium Member about 13 years ago
While perhaps a misnomer, I think it is possible to clean up coal plants a bit more by trapping and reusing or properly disposing of the byproducts of burning the coal. It is the carbon released from the burned coal that ends up in the atmosphere as black carbon, which has been scientifically proven to adjust temperatures for short amounts of time. With better filtering and capturing features in place, it is possible to reduce emissions from coal plants.
Eliminate? No.
Nuclear power is quite nice, but everyone has this “not in my backyard” mentality, as if every one of them is a Chernobyl waiting to happen. I think I read somewhere that today’s nuclear power plants can be maintained by people with basic degrees.
kreole about 13 years ago
Mr. Clean Coal guy shown is misleading……coal is burned clean now by power plants. We have one here on the coast and Mr Clean guy is wearing a white shirt.
ARodney about 13 years ago
Even clean coal is one of the dirtiest forms of electricity.
William Bednar Premium Member about 13 years ago
Mr. Clean looks eerily like J. Loughner!
Motivemagus about 13 years ago
I am in favor of developing clean-burning techniques; one suggested decades ago (and tried out in France) is MHD generators which burn superhot. Unfortunately, we’re not there yet. “Clean coal” is a marketing campaign, not a working process. Bruce, get off your high horse. We can consider more than one thing at once. He’s not demonizing fossil fuels, he’s pointing out the dishonesty of most of the clean coal promoters. And kreole, got any actual facts behind your statement? ‘Cause I haven’t seen any.
CorosiveFrog Premium Member about 13 years ago
Correction, Bruce; the industry is moving to places where the government is doing all the sweatshop oppression for them and where there is so much smog people can barely see in front of them on a sunny day.
Living in a chinese city is like smoking three packs of cigarettes a day!
Clean coal is less polluting, but still polluting.
Dtroutma about 13 years ago
“Clean coal” is a myth. “Clean” nuclear is a myth. Outside a nuclear plant (or inside) is “safe” compared to where uranium is mined- like in my little down with its cancer deaths and “impacts” over decades from mining and processing.
If we keep wasting energy as we do, we WILL need to use nuclear, rather than coal or petroleum, wind, geothermal and other “greens” won’t keep up with demand, that is true.
It is also true that one man’s profit is another man’s pestilence, but billion dollar profits for market traders will never result in a call for the Orkin man.
rockngolfer about 13 years ago
I think it is the mercury in coal that is the problem. In 2005 the level was supposed to be lowered from about 50 tons of mercury a year to 15 tons a year. That is still the main source of mercury in fish.
rockngolfer about 13 years ago
Sulphur used to be a big problem, too. It combined with moisture in the atmosphere to make acid rain. I think that problem has been solved.
pirate227 about 13 years ago
“coal is burned clean now by power plants”
On which planet is that?
memememe191919 almost 13 years ago
Just use your Magic Eraser, Mr. Clean.