Download or read book The Pyrocene written by Stephen J. Pyne and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2021-09-07 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A provocative rethinking of how humans and fire have evolved together over time—and our responsibility to reorient this relationship before it's too late.​ The Pyrocene tells the story of what happened when a fire-wielding species, humanity, met an especially fire-receptive time in Earth's history. Since terrestrial life first appeared, flames have flourished. Over the past two million years, however, one genus gained the ability to manipulate fire, swiftly remaking both itself and eventually the world. We developed small guts and big heads by cooking food; we climbed the food chain by cooking landscapes; and now we have become a geologic force by cooking the planet. Some fire uses have been direct: fire applied to convert living landscapes into hunting grounds, forage fields, farms, and pastures. Others have been indirect, through pyrotechnologies that expanded humanity's reach beyond flame's grasp. Still, preindustrial and Indigenous societies largely operated within broad ecological constraints that determined how, and when, living landscapes could be burned. These ancient relationships between humans and fire broke down when people began to burn fossil biomass—lithic landscapes—and humanity's firepower became unbounded. Fire-catalyzed climate change globalized the impacts into a new geologic epoch. The Pleistocene yielded to the Pyrocene. Around fires, across millennia, we have told stories that explained the world and negotiated our place within it. The Pyrocene continues that tradition, describing how we have remade the Earth and how we might recover our responsibilities as keepers of the planetary flame.

Download or read book Coal and Peat Fires A Global Perspective written by Glenn B. Stracher and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2010-09-30 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coal and Peat Fires: A Global Perspective is a compelling collection of research conducted by scientists andengineers around the world. The first of four volumes in the collection, Coal – Geology and Combustion, features chapters that discuss the origin of coal and coal fires; mining and use of coal; combustion and coal petrology; environmental and health impacts of coal fires; combustion by-products; geochemical, geophysical, and engineering methodologies for studying coal fires; the control, extinguishment, and political implications of coal fires; and much more. - Integrates pioneering coal-fires research, with topical coverage of remote sensing, policymaking, and more - Serves as an essential guide to the socio-economic and geo-environmental impacts of coal fires

Download or read book Coal and Peat Fires A Global Perspective written by Glenn B. Stracher and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2018-11-09 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coal and Peat Fires: A Global Perspective, Volume Five: Case Studies - Advances in Field and Laboratory Research, the companion to volumes 1-4, includes the latest research findings about coal and peat fires in the United States, China, India, France, Spain, Poland, and Ireland. Included are chapters about the discovery of microarthropods at two mine fires, the oldest recorded uses of burning coal, the effects of combustion and coal waste on a riverine system, remote sensing analysis of coal fires, gas explosion and spontaneous combustion experiments, and phases associated with the by-products of combustion. This essential reference, along with volumes 1-4, includes a companion website with an interactive world map of coal and peat fires, a collection of slide presentations, research data, and videos: https://www.elsevier.com/books-and-journals/book-companion/9780128498859 - Authored by world-renowned experts in coal and peat fires - Global in scope -- covers case studies about fires around the world - Includes beautiful color illustrations, valuable research data, a companion website with additional resources, and a periodically updated world map of coal and peat fires

Download or read book Reinventing Fire written by Amory Lovins and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2011-10-15 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagine fuel without fear. No climate change. No oil spills, no dead coalminers, no dirty air, no devastated lands, no lost wildlife. No energy poverty. No oil-fed wars, tyrannies, or terrorists. No leaking nuclear wastes or spreading nuclear weapons. Nothing to run out. Nothing to cut off. Nothing to worry about. Just energy abundance, benign and affordable, for all, forever. That richer, fairer, cooler, safer world is possible, practical, even profitable-because saving and replacing fossil fuels now works better and costs no more than buying and burning them. Reinventing Fire shows how business-motivated by profit, supported by civil society, sped by smart policy-can get the US completely off oil and coal by 2050, and later beyond natural gas as well. Authored by a world leader on energy and innovation, the book maps a robust path for integrating real, here-and-now, comprehensive energy solutions in four industries-transportation, buildings, electricity, and manufacturing-melding radically efficient energy use with reliable, secure, renewable energy supplies.Popular in tone and rooted in applied hope, Reinventing Fire shows how smart businesses are creating a potent, global, market-driven, and explosively growing movement to defossilize fuels. It points readers to trillions in savings over the next 40 years, and trillions more in new business opportunities.Whether you care most about national security, or jobs and competitive advantage, or climate and environment, this major contribution by world leaders in energy innovation offers startling innovations will support your values, inspire your support, and transform your sense of possibility.Pragmatic citizens today are more interested in outcomes than motives. Reinventing Fire answers this trans-ideological call. Whether you care most about national security, or jobs and competitive advantage, or climate and environment, its startling innovations will support your values, inspire your support, and transform your sense of possibility.

Download or read book Inorganic Geochemistry of Coal written by Shifeng Dai and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2023-06-22 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inorganic Geochemistry of Coal explains how to determine the concentrations and modes of occurrence of elements in coal, how to diminish adverse effects of toxic elements on the environment and human health, which elements in coal could be industrially utilized, and which elements can be successfully used as indications for deciphering depositional environments and tectonic evolution. As coal use will remain at an all-time high for the next several decades, there is a critical need for understanding the properties of this fuel to ensure efficient use, encourage its economic by-product potential, and to help minimize its negative technological, environmental and health impacts. - Features dozens of never-before published illustrations of critical features of the inorganic geochemistry of coal - Covers both the theory and applications of the topic, including case studies to serve as real-world examples - Includes a chapter on the health and environmental impacts of the mining, development and use of coal

Download or read book Applied Coal Petrology written by Isabel Suarez-Ruiz and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2008-10-09 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an integrated approach towards the applications of coal (organic) petrology and discusses the role of this science in the field of coal and coal-related topics. Coal petrology needs to be seen as a continuum of organic (macerals) and inorganic (minerals and trace elements) contributions to the total coal structure, with the overprint of coal rank. All this influences the behavior of coal in utilization, the coal by-products, the properties of coal as a reservoir for methane or a sequestration site for carbon dioxide, and the relationships of coal utilization with health and environmental issues. The interaction of coal properties and coal utilization begins at the mine face. The breakage of the coal in mining influences its subsequent beneficiation. Beneficiation is fundamental to the proper combustion of coal and is vital to the preparation of the feedstock for the production of metallurgical coke. An understanding of basic coal properties is important for achieving reductions in trace element emissions and improving the efficiency of combustion and combined-cycle gasification. The production of methane from coal beds is related to the properties of the in situ coal. Similarly, coal bed sequestration of carbon dioxide produced from combustion is dependent on the reservoir properties. Environmental problems accompany coal on its way from the mine to the point of utilization and beyond. Health aspects related with coal mining and coal utilization are also included because, in planning for coal use, it is impossible to separate environmental and health issues from the discussion of coal utilization. The book is aimed at a wide audience, ranging from researchers, lecturers and students to professionals in industry and discusses issues (such as the environmental, and health) that are of concern to the general public as a whole. - This book focuses on the applications of coal (organic) petrology to our modern society - It is an integrated approach to help the reader appreciate the importance of coal quality and coal utilization. Coal composition (macerals, mineral, trace elements) and the overprint of coal rank are treated together - The book synthesises all the possibilities of the organic petrology as a tool for coal utilization in conventional applications (mining and beneficiation, coal combustion, gasification, liquefaction, carbonization), as a precursor of carbon materials and as a petroleum source and reservoir rock - The role of applied petrology in the characterization of solid by-products from coal utilization is also discussed - In addition, this book describes the present status of environmental and health problems linked to coal utilization and the ways in which such problems might be overcome in the future

Download or read book The Whole Story of Climate written by E. Kirsten Peters and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2012 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An engaging narrative that describes the important contributions of geology to our understanding of climate change. What emerges is a much more complex and nuanced picture than is usually presented.

Download or read book Geology of Coal Fires written by Glenn B. Stracher and published by Geological Society of America. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Naturally burning coal fires and those ignited by human activities receive little attention from the media compared to other environmental hazards, but their study is gaining ground. Here, the world's leading experts present their research findings covering topics such as the gases generated in underground coal fires, the origin of gas-vent minerals and land-cover changes due to coal fires.

Download or read book BASIC COAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY written by Adeniyi A. Afonja and published by ChudacePublishing. This book was released on 2022-06-03 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coal has been a major energy source for centuries. In 2021, coal provided around 28% of the total global primary energy requirements and 47% of the electricity demand. Coal also fuels around 80% of the world’s total iron and steel production. In spite of current global efforts to decarbonize the global environment by eliminating coal (the most polluting fossil fuel) all projections indicate that it will remain prominent in the global energy scene in the foreseeable future, filling about 21% of the primary energy demand and providing around 35% of electricity in 2040. Coal is also a precursor to many valuable gaseous and liquid fuels, premium chemicals and high-technology carbon materials. This book serves as an introduction to the extensive science and technology of coal, in particular, the properties which largely determine the utilization potentials of one of the world’s most valuable primary energy resources.

Download or read book Emission and Control of Trace Elements from Coal Derived Gas Streams written by Yongchun Zhao and published by Woodhead Publishing. This book was released on 2019-07-12 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Emission and Control of Trace Elements from Coal-Derived Gas Streams presents an up-to-date and focused analysis on Trace element (TEs) emissions and control strategies during coal utilization. This book provides insights into how TE's in coal are distributed from different coal-forming periods, coal ranks and coal-bearing regions. As the emission and control of TEs during coal utilization are a significant concern, this book introduces TEs in coal and pollution in an accessible way before discussing why they occur and how they are distributed during various stages of coal forming, also considering various regions and countries. Specific types of TEs in relation to partition in coal combustion, coal fires, gasification and coal feed furnace are then analyzed, providing the reader with practical knowledge to apply to their own research or projects. This book is an essential reference for energy engineers researching and working in coal technology, with a specific focus on emission control, as well as graduate students and researchers in energy engineering, environmental, thermal and chemical engineering who have an interest in trace element emission and control from coal utilization. - Presents characteristics of TE emissions during coal utilization in laboratory-scale experiments, industrial furnaces and power plants - Considers different legislation and case studies from various regions and countries - Includes contributions from world renowned experts - Presents a concise and focused analysis on TE emissions and control strategies

Download or read book The Burning Question written by Mike Berners-Lee and published by Greystone Books. This book was released on 2013-09-21 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Burning Question reveals climate change to be the most fascinating scientific, political and social puzzle in history. It shows that carbon emissions are still accelerating upwards, following an exponential curve that goes back centuries. One reason is that saving energy is like squeezing a balloon: reductions in one place lead to increases elsewhere. Another reason is that clean energy sources don't in themselves slow the rate of fossil fuel extraction. Tackling global warming will mean persuading the world to abandon oil, coal and gas reserves worth many trillions of dollars — at least until we have the means to put carbon back in the ground. The burning question is whether that can be done. What mix of politics, psychology, economics and technology might be required? Are the energy companies massively overvalued, and how will carbon-cuts affect the global economy? Will we wake up to the threat in time? And who can do what to make it all happen? Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.

Download or read book Mercury Fate and Transport in the Global Atmosphere written by Nicola Pirrone and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-06-15 with total page 636 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mercury, primarily because of its existence and bioaccumulation as methylmercury in aquatic organisms, is a concern for the health of higher trophic level organisms, or to their consumers. This is the major factor driving current research in mercury globally and in environmental regulation, and is the driver for the current UNEP Global Partnership for Mercury Transport and Fate Research (UNEP F&T) initiative. The overall focus of the UNEP F&T report is to assess the relative importance of different processes/mechanisms affecting the transfer of mercury (Hg) from emission sources to aquatic and terrestrial receptors and provide possible source-receptor relationships. This transfer occurs through atmospheric transport, chemical transformations and subsequent deposition, and involves the intermittent recycling between reservoirs that occurs prior to ultimate removal of Hg from the atmosphere. Understanding the sources, the global Hg transport and fate, and the impact of human activity on the biosphere, requires improved knowledge of Hg movement and transformation in the atmosphere. An improved understanding of Hg emission sources, fate and transport is important if there is to be a focused and concerted effort to set priorities and goals for Hg emission management and reduction at the national, regional and global levels; and to develop and implement such policies and strategies. To achieve this, a series of coordinated scientific endeavors focused on the estimation of sources, measurement and validation of concentrations and processes, and modeling, coupled with interpretation of the results within a policy framework, is likely to be required.

Download or read book Sustainable Air Pollution Management written by Ramesha Chandrappa and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-08-21 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work is intended as a textbook on the theory and practice of sustainable air pollution management. The book discusses the fundamental aspects of traditional air pollution topics as well as some more advanced topics (such as atmospheric brown cloud, trans-boundary movement of air pollutants, air transportation of radioactive material, biological air pollutants, etc.). Though much has been written about theory of Air Pollution Management, it is still not practiced in society for a variety of reasons. Having worked at the grass roots level and travelled extensively, the authors have captured useful, cost-effective and successfully implemented practices with their cameras and notebooks. The non-technical issues that are often seen as a hindrance to adopting sustainable solutions due to political, legal and social factors are also addressed to enable readers to understand a different dimension of social problems. Topics covered include selecting a separation process, process description, materials selection logic, implementation etc. Theory, design and operation specifications are also included for each air pollution management option. The book is an excellent guide for those readers looking to understand and practice sustainable air pollution management. Readers also learn how energy-efficient and cost-effective methods can be successfully used to reduce the production of contaminants, providing cleaner air.

Download or read book Burning Planet written by Andrew C. Scott and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Andrew Scott, who played a key role in identifying fossilized charcoal, describes the profound impact of fire through Earth history, from its role in mass extinctions and the spread of flowering plants, to early hominid use of fire, and the role of wildfires on landscapes today.

Download or read book Underground Coal Gasification and Combustion written by Michael S. Blinderman and published by Woodhead Publishing. This book was released on 2017-11-28 with total page 664 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is carried out in unmined coal seams, using wells drilled from the surface and converting coal into synthesis gas. The gas can be used for power generation and synthesis of automotive fuels, fertilizers and other products. UCG offers financial, social, and environmental benefits over conventional coal extraction and utilization methods and may play a critical role in ensuring energy security in the future. Underground Coal Gasification and Combustion provides an overview of underground coal gasification technology, its current status and future directions. Comprehensive in approach, the book covers history, science, technology, hydrogeology, rock mechanics, environmental performance, economics, regulatory and commercial aspects of UCG projects. The first book on the subject in forty years, it is unique in analysing more than a century of global UCG developments by experts from Australia, Canada, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, the USA and Uzbekistan. - Provides researchers, engineers, industry, educators and regulators with an authoritative overview of science and practical applications of underground coal gasification technologies - Offers insight into efficiency, environmental performance, costs, permitting issues and commercial aspects of UCG projects - Written by scientists and practitioners of UCG technology sharing hands-on experience of step-by-step UCG implementation

Download or read book Roaming the Rocky Mountains and Environs written by Robert G. H. Raynolds and published by Geological Society of America. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prepared following the 2007 GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, these 15 guides illustrate the latest geological and archeological thinking on a variety of current research themes.

Download or read book Interior Western United States written by Joel L. Pederson and published by Geological Society of America. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: