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I could see an argument for coal used to enrich soil for agriculture, if there were a way to economically remove all the toxic metals from it. Urine and bone m
by logfromblammo 9y ago
I could see an argument for coal used to enrich soil for agriculture, if there were a way to economically remove all the toxic metals from it. Urine and bone meal would round it out.
It could be a carbon source for a new type of terra preta.
It would even be useful for the high-sulfur coals.
- vanderZwan 9y agoBoth energy and resource-wise it's much cheaper to just grow plants and char them. And you probably end up with side-benefits from growing plants in the process.
- logfromblammo 9y agoWhat if one of your goals is to buy votes of otherwise-unemployed coal miners? If the coal has no economic uses for energy production, but the mining has some reason to happen anyway, where the coal itself becomes a by-product, turning it into agricultural soil wouldn't be entirely horrible. The heavy metals would probably have to be removed before disposing of it anyway.