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Reflections On Energy, Greenhouse Gases, And Carbonaceous Fules, Eugene Coyle, William Grimson, Biswajit Basu, Mike Murphy
Reflections On Energy, Greenhouse Gases, And Carbonaceous Fules, Eugene Coyle, William Grimson, Biswajit Basu, Mike Murphy
Books/Book chapters
In this chapter, we review the history of man’s dependence on carbonaceous fuels for survival, beginning with pre-industrial civilizations, during which charcoal was pro- cessed for thousands of years to smelt iron and copper. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, however, coke and coal became prime energy resources which powered the engine rooms of the industrial revolution. Accompanying the economic and societal benefits of this period was the recognition of the damage resulting from smog owing to excessive burning of coal, which affected both human health and the natural envi- ronment. These pivotal centuries laid the foundation for the advancement …