ACID DEPOSITION - The transfer of acids or acid-forming substances from the atmosphere to the earth's surface. Referred to as wet deposition when the transfer occurs through precipitation (rain, snow, fog); and dry deposition when the transfer occurs through other processes such as absorption, impaction, sedimentation, and chemical reaction.

ACID SENSITIVE ENVIRONMENTS - Environments which can be easily damaged by acid deposition. Some environments have natural buffering capabilities which allow them to neutralize significant amounts of acid deposition.

AGGLOMERATION - A family of processes which can be used to concentrate valuable minerals (including coal) based on their adhesive properties.

ANTHRACITE - Coal of the highest rank; it is almost pure carbon and is used mainly for home heating and cooking in some developing countries industrial purposes.

BITUMINOUS - An intermediate ranked coal between anthracite and sub-bituminous coal. It has a high carbon content and is low in moisture content. Bituminous coal can be used for both steelmaking and power generation. Low and medium volatile bituminous coals are ranked by their carbon content, while high volatile bituminous coals are ranked by their heating value.

BOILER - A tank in which water is heated or steam is generated.

BREAKER - A machine which combines coal crushing and screening. Normally consists of a rotating drum in which coal is broken by gravity impact against the walls of the drum.

CARBON DIOXIDE - A colorless, odorless, non-toxic radiative gas that is essential to plant and animal life. It is also emitted as a result of burning organic materials, including fossil fuels.

CHARCOAL - The residue, primarily carbon, from the partial combustion of wood or other organic matter.

CLEAN-COAL TECHNOLOGIES - Technologies that allow coal-based power or electricity generation to have improved environmental performance, through decreased emissions. These technologies decrease emissions by using coal in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.

CLIMATE - The long-term / overall weather of an area. Climate therefore, is the cumulative grouping of separate weather patterns. (see Weather)

CLIMATE CHANGE - A wholly natural phenomenon in which climate varies over centuries and millenia through the influence of various factors, such as solar cycles, the change of relative humidity in the atmosphere, and changing levels of so-called "greenhouse gases". This phrase is often used in place of the term "global warming". (see Global Warming)

COAL - A fossil fuel composed mostly of carbon, with traces of hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur and other elements.

COAL DESULPHURIZATION - Removal of sulphur from coal or coal gas.

COAL GASIFICATION - Any of a variety of processes by which coal is converted to a gas.

COKE - A hard, dry carbon substance produced by heating coal to a very high temperature in the absence of air. Coke is used in the manufacture of iron and steel.

COMBUSTION CHAMBER - The part of a boiler in which fuel is burned.

DEMONSTRATION PHASE - A stage in the research and development process during which a process or facility is tested under anticipated operating conditions.

DRAGLINE - An excavating machine that uses a bucket operated and suspended by lines or cables, one of which lowers the bucket from the boom; the other, from which the name of the machine is derived, allows the bucket to swing out from the machine or to be dragged toward the machine to remove overburden above a coal seam.

ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATOR - An electrical device for removing fine particles (fly ash) from combustion gases prior to release from a power plant's stack.

ENERGY - The capacity to do work; more commonly used as an all-encompassing generic term describing fuel sources used to provide power.

ENERGY MIX - The combination of sources used to provide energy at any given time and place. Energy sources include coal, oil, gas, water (hydro), uranium (nuclear), wind, sunlight, geothermal and others.

FAULTS / FAULTED - A fracture in the earth's crust causing displacement of the layers.

FLUIDIZED BED COMBUSTION - A process which has a high capability of removing sulphur from coal during combustion. Crushed coal and limestone are suspended in the combustion chamber in the bottom of a boiler by an upward stream of hot air. The coal is burned in this fluid-like mixture. Instead of being released as emissions, sulphur from combustion gases combines with the limestone to form a solid compound recovered with the ash.

GASIFICATION - (see Coal Gasification)

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING - The branch of engineering that specializes in assessing the stability and strength of soil and rock materials, as well as groundwater conditions. In mining, geotechnical engineering principles are used to determine the appropriate design of mine features such as pit walls, tunnels and earthen embankments.

GLOBAL WARMING - A potential increase in the temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere which some researchers link to the build-up of radiative gases in the atmosphere. (see Climate Change)

GREENHOUSE EFFECT - A misnomer for a natural phenomenon that occurs when so-called 'greenhouse gases' trap radiated heat in the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is actually a minor portion of a complex and dynamic process of heating and cooling that occurs in the earth's atmosphere. This natural process of heating and cooling also includes the fluid dynamics associated with atmospheric moisture (such as clouds), oceans and other surface water, soot and other dust particles known as aerosols. The entire heating and cooling cycle warms the atmosphere and makes life on earth possible.

GREENHOUSE GASES - Gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (NO2), and other trace gases which restrict the re-radiation of infrared heat back into the atmospheres.

HOPPER - A bin or funnel that is loaded from the top and which discharges through a door or chute at the bottom.

HYDROCARBONS - A class of compounds containing hydrogen and carbon formed by the decomposition of plant and animal remains, including coal, mineral oil, petroleum, natural gas, paraffin, the fossil resins and the solid bitumens occurring in rocks. Gasoline is a mixture of hydrocarbons.

HYDROELECTRICITY - Electricity generated using falling water as an energy source.

LIGNITE - A low-rank coal with a relatively high moisture and low heat/energy content. Ranging in colour from black to brown, lignite is used in power generation.

LIQUEFACTION - The process of converting coal into a synthetic liquid fuel, similar in nature to crude oil and other refined products.

LOW SULPHUR COAL - Coal which has a sulphur content generally ranging from 0.1 per cent to 1.0 per cent. All western Canadian coal is low in sulphur.

METALLURGICAL COAL - A term used to describe varieties of bituminous coal that are converted into coke for use in the steelmaking process.

METHANE - The most simple of the hydrocarbons formed naturally from the decay of vegetative matter, similar to that which formed coal. It is the principal component of natural gas and is a radiative gas.

Mtce - Mega tonnes of coal equivalent.

NITROGEN OXIDES (NOx) - Formed when nitrogen (N2) combines with oxygen (O2) in the burning of fossil fuels, from the natural degradation of vegetation, and from the use of chemical fertilizers. NOx gases are a significant component of acid deposition and a precursor of photochemical smog. The primary source of nitrogen oxide emissions is automobile exhaust.

OZONE (O3) - A bluish toxic gas, with a pungent odor, formed of three oxygen atoms rather than the usual two. Occurs in the stratosphere and plays a role in filtering out ultraviolet radiation from the sun's rays. At ground level ozone is a precursor of photochemical smog.

OVERBURDEN - Layers of rock and soil covering a coal seam. In surface mining operations, overburden is removed using large equipment and is either used for reclaiming mined areas or hauled to designated dumping areas.

PEAT - A dark brown or black deposit resulting from the partial decomposition of vegetative matter in marshes and swamps.

PIT PONIES - Small horses, mules, or ponies which were used to pull coal shuttle cars from underground mines during the 1800s.

PROVED RESERVES - Those quantities which geological and engineering information indicate with reasonable certainty can be recovered in the future from known deposits under existing economic and operating conditions.

RADIATIVE GASES - Any of the natural or man-made gases which, when released, accumulate in the atmosphere. A characteristic of these gases is that they tend to allow the sun's heat to pass through to earth but do not allow the heat radiated back from the earth to escape from the atmosphere.

SCRUBBER - Any of several forms of chemical/physical devices which operate to remove sulphur compounds formed as a result of fossil-fuel combustion. These devices normally combine the sulphur in gaseous emissions with another chemical medium to form inert compounds which can then be removed for disposal.

SHEARER - A rotating cutting device used in underground mining to remove coal from the coal seam.

SUB-BITUMINOUS - A generally soft coal with a heating value between bituminous and lignite. It has low fixed carbon and high percentages of moisture and volatile material. Sub-bituminous coal is mainly used for generating electricity.

SULPHUR OXIDES (SOx) - A family of gases, including sulphur dioxide (SO2) formed when sulphur, or fossil fuels containing sulphur, burn in air. Airborne sulphur compounds may be converted to other substances which contribute to acid deposition.

TECTONIC FORCES - Forces pertaining to, causing or resulting from structural deformation of the earth's crust.

THERMAL COAL - A term used to describe coal which is used primarily to generate heat. Also referred to as steam coal.

TON - An Imperial unit of weight equivalent to 2,000 pounds or 907.2 kg. This is also known as a "short ton".

TONNE - A metric unit of weight equivalent to 1000 kg or 2,240 pounds. This is also known as a "metric ton" or "long ton".

TURBINE - A machine that has propeller-like blades which can be moved by flowing water or gas (including steam) thereby rotating a component in a generator to produce electricity.

UNIT TRAIN - A train typically consisting of approximately 100 to 110 cars, which is dedicated to the transport of a single commodity such as coal.

VOLATILE MATTER - Matter that is driven off as gas or vapor when coal is heated to about 950° C.

WEATHER - Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time that includes temperature, precipitation, humidity, pressure, winds.