Coal comes in four main types or ranks: lignite or brown coal, bituminous coal or black coal, anthracite and graphite. Each type of coal has a certain set of physical parameters which are mostly controlled by moisture, volatile content (in terms of aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons) and carbon content. Moisture Moisture is an important proerty of coal, as all coals are mined wet. Groundwater and other extraneous moisture is known as adventitious moisture and is readily evaporated. Moisture held within the c ...

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Coal assay, Coal assay - Chemical properties of coal, Coal assay - Physical and Mechanical Properties, Coal assay - Special Combustion Tests

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Coal assay - Chemical properties of coal Coal assay - Physical and Mechanical Properties Coal assay - Special Combustion Tests

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Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is the lowest rank of coal and used almost exclusively as fuel for steam-electric power generation. It is brownish-black and has a high inherent moisture content, sometimes as high as 45 percent, and very high ash content compared to bituminous coal. The heat content of lignite ranges from 9 to 17 million Btu per short ton (10 to 20 MJ/kg) on a moist, mineral-matter-free basis. The heat content of lignite consumed in the United States averages 13 million Btu/ton (15 MJ/kg), on the as-received basis (i.e., containing both inherent moisture and mineral matter).

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Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (strip mining). It is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock. It is composed primarily of carbon along with assorted other elements, including sulfur. Often associated with the Industrial Revolution, coal remains an enormously important fuel and is the largest single source of electricity world-wide. In the United States, for example, the burning of coal generates 50% of the electricity consumed. Coal - Etymol ...

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Coal - Etymology and folklore Coal - Composition Coal - Creation Coal - Types of coal Coal - Uses
Coal - Coal as fuel Coal - Coking and use of coke Coal - Harmful effects of coal burning
Coal - Coal fires Coal - World coal reserves

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Bituminous coal is a soft coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen. It is of better quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than anthracite coal. Bituminous coal is an organic sedimentary rock formed by diagenetic and submetamorphic compression of peat bog material. Bituminous coal has been compressed and heated so that its primary constituents are the macerals vitrinite, exinite, etc. The carbon content of bituminous coal is aound 60-80%, the rest being comprised of water, as well as oxygen, hydrogen and sul ...

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Bituminous coal - Uses Bituminous coal - Coking Coal Bituminous coal - Jurassic Coals Bituminous coal - Triassic Coals Bituminous coal - Permian Coals Bituminous coal - Carboniferous Coals

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Coal - Coal as fuel. See also Clean coal Coal is primarily used as a solid fuel to produce heat through combustion. World coal consumption is about 5,800 million short tons (5.3 petagrams) annually, of which about 75% is used for electricity production. The region including China and India uses about 1,700 million short tons (1.5 Pg) annually, forecast to exceed 3,000 million short tons (2.7 Pg) in 2025. ^{See also:}

Coal, Coal - Etymology and folklore, Coal - Composition, Coal - Creation, Coal - Types of coal, Coal - Uses, Coal - Coal as fuel, Coal - Coking and use of coke, Coal - Harmful effects of coal burning, Coal - Coal fires, Coal - World coal reserves

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The word "coal" came from Anglo-Saxon col, which meant charcoal. Coal was not mined in Britain before late Middle Ages; i.e. after ca. 1000 AD. Mineral coal was referred to as sea-coal, either because it was found on beaches occasionally having fallen from the exposed coal seams above or washed out of underwater coal seam outcrops, or because it was easier to transport by sea rather than on the very poor road system; in London, England there is still a Seacoal Lane (off the north side of Ludgate Hill) whe ...

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Coal, Coal - Etymology and folklore, Coal - Composition, Coal - Creation, Coal - Types of coal, Coal - Uses, Coal - Coal as fuel, Coal - Coking and use of coke, Coal - Harmful effects of coal burning, Coal - Coal fires, Coal - World coal reserves

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Bituminous coals are graded according to vitrinite reflectance, moisture content, volatile content, plasticity and ash content. Generally, the highest value bituminous coals are those which have a specific grade of plasticity, volatility and low ash content, especially with low carbonate, phosphorus and sulphur. Plasticity is vital for coking and steel making, where the coal has to behave in a manner which allows it to mix with the iron oxides during smelting. Low phosphorus content is vital for these coals, as phosphorus is a hi ...

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Bituminous coal, Bituminous coal - Uses, Bituminous coal - Coking Coal, Bituminous coal - Jurassic Coals, Bituminous coal - Triassic Coals, Bituminous coal - Permian Coals, Bituminous coal - Carboniferous Coals

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Carbon forms more than 50 percent by weight and more than 70 percent by volume of coal (this includes inherent moisture). This is dependent on coal rank, with higher rank coals containing less hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, until 95% purity of carbon is achieved at Anthracite rank and above. Graphite formed from coal is the end-product of the thermal and diagenetic conversion of plant matter (50% b ...

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Coal, Coal - Etymology and folklore, Coal - Composition, Coal - Creation, Coal - Types of coal, Coal - Uses, Coal - Coal as fuel, Coal - Coking and use of coke, Coal - Harmful effects of coal burning, Coal - Coal fires, Coal - World coal reserves

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The word "coal" came from Anglo-Saxon col, which meant charcoal. Coal was not mined in Britain before the late Middle Ages; i.e. after ca. 1000 AD. Mineral coal was referred to as sea-coal, either because it was found on beaches occasionally having fallen from the exposed coal seams above or washed out of underwater coal seam outcrops, or because it was easier to transport by sea rather than on the very poor road system; in London, England there is still a Seacoal Lane (off the north side of Ludgate Hill) wh ...

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Coal, Coal - Etymology and folklore, Coal - Composition, Coal - Creation, Coal - Types of coal, Coal - Uses, Coal - Coal as fuel, Coal - Coking and use of coke, Coal - Harmful effects of coal burning, Coal - Coal fires, Coal - World coal reserves

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It has been estimated that, as of 1996, there is around one exagram (1 × 1015 kg) of total coal reserves accessible using current mining technology, approximately half of it being hard coal. The energy value of all the world's coal is well over 100,000 quadrillion Btu (100 zettajoules). There probably is enough coal to last for 300 years. However, this estimate assumes no rise in population, and no increased use of coal to attempt to compensate for the depletion of natural gas and petroleum. A recent (2003) study by scientist Gre ...

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Coal, Coal - Etymology and folklore, Coal - Composition, Coal - Creation, Coal - Types of coal, Coal - Uses, Coal - Coal as fuel, Coal - Coking and use of coke, Coal - Harmful effects of coal burning, Coal - Coal fires, Coal - World coal reserves

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It has been estimated that, as of 1996, there is around one exagram (1 × 1015 kg) of total coal reserves economically accessible using current mining technology, approximately half of it being hard coal. The energy value of all the world's coal is well over 100,000 quadrillion Btu (100 zettajoules). There probably is enough coal to last for 300 years. However, this estimate assumes no rise in population, and no increased use of coal to attempt to compensate for the depletion of natural gas and petroleum. A recent (2003) study by ...

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Coal, Coal - Etymology and folklore, Coal - Composition, Coal - Creation, Coal - Types of coal, Coal - Uses, Coal - Coal as fuel, Coal - Coking and use of coke, Coal - Harmful effects of coal burning, Coal - Coal fires, Coal - World coal reserves

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The second largest deposits of the world's bituminous coal is contained within Permian strata in Russia and also in the Bowen Basin in Queensland, Australia, as well as in the Sydney Basin and Perth Basin where thicknesses in excess of 300m are known. Current reserves and resources are projected to last for over 500 years. Australia exports the vast majorit of its coal for coking and steel making in Japan. Certain Australian coals are the best in the world for these purposes, requiring little to no blending. Some bituminous coals from the Permian and Triassic in Australia ...

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Bituminous coal, Bituminous coal - Uses, Bituminous coal - Coking Coal, Bituminous coal - Jurassic Coals, Bituminous coal - Triassic Coals, Bituminous coal - Permian Coals, Bituminous coal - Carboniferous Coals

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When used for many industrial processes, bituminous coal must first be "coked" to remove volatile components. Coking is achieved by heating the coal in the absence of oxygen, which drives off volatile hydrocarbons such as propane, benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons, and some sulfur gases. This also drives off a considerable amount of the contained water of the bituminous coal. Coking coal is blended with uncoked coal for power generation. The primary use for coking coal is in the manufacture of steel, where carbo ...

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Bituminous coal, Bituminous coal - Uses, Bituminous coal - Coking Coal, Bituminous coal - Jurassic Coals, Bituminous coal - Triassic Coals, Bituminous coal - Permian Coals, Bituminous coal - Carboniferous Coals

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Coal is formed from plant remains that have been compacted, hardened, chemically altered, and metamorphosed by heat and pressure over geologic time. Coal was formed in swamp ecosystems which persisted in lowland sedimentary basins similar to the peat swamps of Borneo and Kalimantan today. These swamp environments were formed during slow subsidence of passive continental margins, and most seem to have formed adjacent to estuarine and marine sediments suggesting that they may have ...

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Coal, Coal - Etymology and folklore, Coal - Composition, Coal - Creation, Coal - Types of coal, Coal - Uses, Coal - Coal as fuel, Coal - Coking and use of coke, Coal - Harmful effects of coal burning, Coal - Coal fires, Coal - World coal reserves

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Much North American coal was created when swamps created organic material faster than it could decay, prior to the orogenies that created the Appalachian Mountains during the Carboniferous epoch, which is subdivided in American literature into the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian eras after the two main coal-bearing time periods. Bituminous coal is mined in the Appalachian region, primarily for power generation. Mining is done via both surface and underground mines. Pocahontas bituminous coal at one time fueled half the world's navies and today ...

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Bituminous coal, Bituminous coal - Uses, Bituminous coal - Coking Coal, Bituminous coal - Jurassic Coals, Bituminous coal - Triassic Coals, Bituminous coal - Permian Coals, Bituminous coal - Carboniferous Coals

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Carbon forms more than 50 percent by weight and more than 70 percent by volume of coal (this includes inherent moisture). This is dependant on coal rank, with higher rank coals containing less hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, until 95% purity of carbon is achieved at Anthracite rank and above. Graphite formed from coal is the end-product of the thermal and diagenetic conversion of plant matter (50% b ...

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Coal, Coal - Etymology and folklore, Coal - Composition, Coal - Creation, Coal - Types of coal, Coal - Uses, Coal - Coal as fuel, Coal - Coking and use of coke, Coal - Harmful effects of coal burning, Coal - Coal fires, Coal - World coal reserves

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There are hundreds of coal fires burning around the world.[8] Those burning underground can be difficult to locate and many can not be extinguished. Fires can cause the ground above to subside, combustion gases are dangerous to life, and breaking out to the surface can initiate surface wildfires. Coal seams can be set on fire by spontaneous combustion or contact with a mine fire or surface fire. A grass fire in a coal area can ...

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Coal, Coal - Etymology and folklore, Coal - Composition, Coal - Creation, Coal - Types of coal, Coal - Uses, Coal - Coal as fuel, Coal - Coking and use of coke, Coal - Harmful effects of coal burning, Coal - Coal fires, Coal - World coal reserves

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Specific Energy Aside from physical or chemical analyses to determine the handling and pollutant profile of a coal, the energy output of a coal is determined using a bomb calorimeter which measures the specific energy output of a coal during complete combustion. This is required particularly for coals used in steam-raising. Ash Fusion Test The behaviour of a coal's ash residue at high temperature is a critical factor in selecting coals for steam power generation. Most furnaces are designed to remove as ...

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Coal assay, Coal assay - Chemical properties of coal, Coal assay - Physical and Mechanical Properties, Coal assay - Special Combustion Tests

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Relative density Relative density or specific gravity of the coal depends on the rank of the coal and degree of mineral impurity. Knowledge of the density of each coal ply is necessary to determine the properties of composites and blends. The density of the coal seam is necessary for conversion of resources into reserves. Relative density is normally determined by the loss of a sample's weight in water. This is best ach ...

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Coal assay, Coal assay - Chemical properties of coal, Coal assay - Physical and Mechanical Properties, Coal assay - Special Combustion Tests

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