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Chapter Three
USING COAL
W
hen coal finally sees the
light of day, what happens
next depends on its quality
and grade, and on how it will be
transported and used. In both surface
and underground mining, the coal
may go straight to a process called coal
preparation at the mine site. The coal
preparation plant, or prep plant, receives
“raw” coal direct from the mine, called
run-of-mine (ROM) coal. It is basically
crushed into convenient-sized lumps and
cleaned or “washed” into a purer form.
Siting the prep plant at the mine makes it
more cost-effective to transport.
emissions:
substances
given off by burning or
similar chemical changes.
flue gases:
gases produced
by burning and other
processes that come out
of flues, stacks, chimneys,
and similar outlets.
ore:
a rock or similar natural
material that contains large
amounts of a valuable metal
or mineral, such as iron or
sulfur.
oxides:
chemicals that
contain oxygen combined
with other substances.
producer gas:
a gas created
(“produced”) by industrial
rather than natural means.
scrubber:
a device for
removing, or “scrubbing,”
unwanted substances.
Words to Understand