US Bitcoin Miner Turns Harmful Coal Waste Into Clean Energy

Stronghold Digital Mining (SDIG), a Pennsylvania-based crypto mining company, is turning waste from old power plants into energy to power hundreds of bitcoin mining rigs.

The company collects coal waste, a residual waste from the coal mining process, and burns it in emission-controlled environments at its energy production facilities.

Cinders can cause a range of environmental problems, such as water and air pollution, as well as coal mine acid drainage, the acidic water produced during coal mining. Collecting this garbage and safely disposing of it while generating electricity for crypto mining is a productive way to tackle this problem.

Pennsylvania, the third-largest coal-producing state in the United States, is estimated to waste 881 pounds of coal for every 2,200 pounds mined. It is estimated that Pennsylvania alone produces more than 220 million tons of hazardous waste.

Bitcoin and other proof-of-work cryptocurrencies have recently drawn the attention of regulators because of their reliance on energy-intensive processes to mine and provide validation for the network.

Earlier this month, New York state introduced a proposal to suspend proof-of-work mining using fossil fuels, citing the negative environmental impact of the process, introduced today by the New York State Legislature. If passed, proof-of-work mining in New York would be suspended for 3 years.

Other initiatives have found ways to make bitcoin mining environmentally friendly. Earlier this month, oil drilling company ConocoPhillips launched a program in North Dakota to sell the natural gas byproduct of its operations to bitcoin miners instead of burning it.

Last August, U.K.-based cryptocurrency mining firm Argo Blockchain announced that its operations had become “climate positive” in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Its planned 200-megawatt mining facility in Texas will also use renewable energy.