Three decades ago, coal was the dominant source of electricity generation in the U.S. and the recipient of moderate research efforts in the synthetic fuels arena. In recent years, though coal is still heavily discussed in the media, the focus has shifted towards the ill effects that coal mining and combustion have on the environment. As it is likely that we will have to rely on coal for a major share of electricity generation for decades to come, it is increasingly important to understand the current issues that surround coal, as well as future prospects for developing or applying coal technologies that have lesser impacts on the environment.

In this book, author Harold Schobert discusses the current uses and future impacts of coal and coal technologies. Rethinking Coal: Chemicals and Carbon-Based Materials in the 21st Century provides an overview of how coal formed eons ago; the basic properties of coal and differences among the many kinds of coals; the ways coal is currently used in the world; new and emerging technologies for using coal, including prospects for using coal as a source of valuable chemicals and carbon materials rather than burning it; and the impacts of coal use on the environment including CO2 emissions and global climate change, as well as the various practices of coal mining. Rethinking Coal presents the environmental, technical, and economic advantages and disadvantages of various applications of coal, without disparaging or supporting its use.