Question

Coal has an energy content of approximately 2.4 x 107 J/kg, and about 4% sulfur content by mass. If coal-fired power plants in the United States produce around 2.6 x 1011 watts of electricity, how many kilograms of sulfur will be emitted from coal plants in two weeks? Note that 1 J = 1 W·sec.

Answer 1

Answer:

$5.2416\times 10^8 kg$kilograms of sulfur will be emitted from coal plants in two weeks

Explanation:

Power produced by power plants in the United States :P

P=$2.6\times 10^{11} Watts$

1 Joule = Watts × Seconds

Watts = Joule/Second

P=$2.6\times 10^{11} J/s$

This means that $2.6\times 10^{11}$ Joules of enrgy is produced in one second.

So, energy produced in 2 week:

1 week = 7 days

1 day  =  24 hours

1 hour = 3600 seconds

2 week = 2 × 7 × 24 × 3600 s=1,209,600 s

Energy produced in 1,209,600 s: E

$E=2.6\times 10^{11} J/s\times 1,209,600 s$

Coal has an energy content =$2.4\times 10^7 J/Kg$

Mass of coal used while producing E amount of energy: m

$m\times 2.4\times 10^7 J/Kg=E$

$m=\frac{E}{2.4\times 10^7 J/Kg}$

$m=\frac{2.6\times 10^{11} J/s\times 1,209,600 s}{2.4\times 10^7 J/Kg}$

$m = 1.3104\times 10^{10} kg$

Percentage of sulfur in coal = 4% by mass

Mass of sulfur produced from $1.3104\times 10^{10} kg$ in 2 weeks:

$\frac{4}{100}\times 1.3104\times 10^{10} kg=5.2416\times 10^8 kg$