Few people today give much thought to the role that explosives play in their lives each day and how they are linked to our standard of living and our very way of life.  Explosives provide the means to free up the vast resources of the earth for the advancement of civilization.

Few people know that 42 different minerals are used to make a telephone and 35 are used to make a color television. Even everyday products such as talcum powder, toothpaste, cosmetics and medicines contain minerals, all of which must be mined using explosives.

In fact it is difficult to think of any product that is not extracted from or improved upon through the use of explosives.  The roadways we travel on and tunnels we travel through are built by first breaking rock using explosives.  The cars we travel in contain steel, copper, aluminum, and zinc — all raw materials extracted from the ground using explosives.  Our computers are built using gold, silver, copper and silica.  Our power sources — coal, fuel, natural gas pipelines, hydroelectric dams — are extracted or built using the power of explosives.

As a fuel source, anthracite has many distinct advantages over its better-known alternatives (gas, oil, electricity, wood, wood pellets, and propane).  The cost of anthracite can be significantly lower than alternative heat methods mentioned above.  After switching to anthracite, many users report saving up to 50% on their heating bills.  Anthracite is a clean-burning and smokeless fuel source.

Anthracite’s low sulphur and high carbon content makes it a clean-burning fuel. It produces virtually no smoke or polluting emissions, a major problem with wood burning stoves.  Even small quantities of ash left over from burning anthracite can be used. The ash is excellent for aerating soil and as a binding agent for the manufacture of building materials.

For supplemental heating via a coal stove or fireplace insert, anthracite is easier to use than wood, unlike a wood stove which needs to be refilled often, a modern anthracite stove heats evenly without tending often.

Another bonus with anthracite is that there is very little ash to be disposed of with no creosote build-up in the chimney. Unlike wood-burning fireplaces or stoves, annual maintenance is minimal.

Coal, like all other sources of energy, has a number of environmental impacts, from both coal mining and coal use.

Coal mining raises a number of environmental challenges, including soil erosion, dust, noise and water pollution, and impacts on local biodiversity.  Steps are taken in modern coal mining operations to minimise these impacts.

Continuous improvements in technology have dramatically reduced or eliminated many of the environmental impacts traditionally associated with the use of coal in the vital electricity generation and steelmaking industries. Viable, highly effective technologies have been developed to tackle the release of pollutants – such as oxides of sulphur (SOx) and nitrogen (NOx) – and particulate and trace elements, such as mercury. More recently, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) have become a concern because of their link to climate change.

There is now growing recognition that technology developments have to be part of the solution to climate change.  This is particularly true for coal because its use is growing in so many large economies, including the largest and fastest growing countries such as China and India.

Source:  worldcoal.org