Information AboutCoal |
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Coal ( formed in Swamp Ecosystem s where Plant remains were saved by Water and Mud from Oxidization and Biodegradation . Coal is a readily Combustible black or brownish-black rock. It is a Sedimentary rock, but the harder forms, such as Anthracite Coal , can be regarded as Metamorphic Rocks because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure. It is composed primarily of Carbon along with assorted other elements, including Sulfur . It is the largest single source of fuel for the Generation Of Electricity world-wide, as well as one of the largest sources of Carbon Dioxide emissions, which is considered the primary cause of Global Warming . Coal is extracted from the ground by Coal Mining , either underground Mining or Open Pit Mining ( Surface Mining ). ETYMOLOGY The word "coal" is of Aryan origin, and appears in many Germanic languages ( German Language ''Kohle'', Swedish Language ''kol'', Hindi Language "Koyla"), '' Oxford English Dictionary '' 1989 edition also giving the name for element Carbon in those languages— Charcoal is wood rendered to carbon and carbonic compounds by Pyrolysis (''charring''). TYPES OF COAL As geological processes apply Pressure to Peat over time, it is transformed successively into:
EARLY USE s and Military Forts , particularly in Northumberland , dated to around AD 400 . In the west of England contemporary writers described the wonder of a permanent brazier of coal on the altar of Minerva at ''Aquae Sulis'' (modern day Bath ) although in fact easily-accessible surface coal from what is now the Somerset coalfield was in common use in quite lowly dwellings locally.Forbes, R J (1966): ''Studies in Ancient Technology''. Brill Academic Publishers, Boston. However, there is no evidence that the product was of great importance in Britain before the High Middle Ages , after about AD 1000 . Mineral coal came to be referred to as "seacoal," probably because it came to many places in eastern England, including London , by sea. This is accepted as the more likely explanation for the name than that it was found on beaches, having fallen from the exposed Coal Seam s above or washed out of underwater coal seam outcrops. These easily accessible sources had largely become exhausted (or could not meet the growing demand) by the 13th Century , when underground mining from Shafts or Adit s was developed. In London there is still a Seacoal Lane (off the north side of Ludgate Hill ) where the coal merchants used to conduct their business. An alternative name was "pitcoal," because it came from mines. It was, however, the development of the Industrial Revolution that led to the large-scale use of coal, as the Steam Engine took over from the Water Wheel . USES TODAY .]] Coal as fuel See also Clean Coal and Fossil Fuel Power Plant Coal is primarily used as a solid Fuel to produce electricity and heat through combustion. World coal consumption is about 5.3 billion tonnes annually, of which about 75% is used for the production of electricity. The region including the People's Republic Of China and India uses about 1.7 billion tonnes annually, forecast to exceed 2.7 billion tonnes in 2025 .1 The USA consumes about 1.0 billion tons of coal each year, using 90% of it for generation of electricity. This fact can be used to put a carbon-cost of energy on the use of coal power. Since the useful energy output of coal is about 30% of the 6.67 kW-h/kg(coal), we can say about 2 kW-h/kg(coal) of energy is produced. Since 1 kg coal roughly translates as 1.83 kg of CO2, we can say that using electricity from coal produces CO2 at a rate of about 0.915 kg(CO2) / kW-h, or about 0.254 kg(CO2) / MJ. COAL FIRES There are hundreds of coal fires burning around the world.14 Those burning underground can be difficult to locate and many cannot 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 set dozens of coal seams on fire.1516 Coal fires in China burn 109 million tonnes of coal a year, emitting 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. This amounts to 2-3% of the annual worldwide production of CO2 from fossil fuels, or as much as emitted from all of the cars and light trucks in the United States.1718 In Centralia, Pennsylvania (a Borough located in the Coal Region of the United States ) an exposed vein of coal ignited in 1962 due to a trash fire in the borough landfill, located in an abandoned Anthracite strip mine pit. Attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful, and it continues to burn underground to this day. The Australia n Burning Mountain was originally believed to be a volcano, but the smoke and ash comes from a coal fire which may have been burning for over 5,500 years.19 At Kuh i Malik in Yagnob Valley, Tajikistan , coal deposits have been burning for thousands of years, creating vast underground labyrinths full of unique minerals, some of them very beautiful. The only way to peek inside and survive for more than a few seconds is by wrapping yourself in a wet blanket. Local people once used this method to mine Ammoniac . This place has been well-known since the time of Herodotus , but European geographers mis-interpreted the Ancient Greek descriptions as the evidence of active volcanism in Turkestan (up to the 19th century, when Russian army invaded the area). The reddish siltstone rock that caps many ridges and buttes in the Powder River Basin ( Wyoming ), and in western North Dakota is called porcelanite, which also may resemble the coal burning waste "clinker" or volcanic " Scoria ".20 Clinker is rock that has been fused by the natural burning of coal. In the Powder River Basin approximately 27 to 54 billion tonnes of coal burned within the past three million years.21 Wild coal fires in the area were reported by the Lewis And Clark Expedition as well as explorers and settlers in the area.22 PRODUCTION TRENDS In 2005, China was the top producer of coal with almost one-third world share followed by the USA and India, reports the British Geological Survey . World coal reserves In 2003 it was estimated that there was around one Exa gram (1 × 1015 kg or 998 billion tons) of total coal reserves accessible using current mining technology, approximately half of it being hard coal. The energy value of all the world's recoverable coal is 27 zettajoules, International Energy Outlook 2007 Chapter 5 Coal which is expected to last 200 years. At the current global total energy consumption of 15 terawatt,BP2006 energy report, and US EIA 2006 overview there is enough coal to provide the entire planet with all of its energy for 57 years. British Petroleum, in its annual report 2006, estimated at 2005 end, there were 909,064 million tons of ''proven'' coal reserves worldwide (9.236 × 1014 kg), or 155 years Reserve To Production Ratio . This figure only includes reserves classified as "proven", exploration drilling programs by mining companies, particularly in under-explored areas, are continually providing new reserves. In many cases, companies are aware of coal deposits that have not been sufficiently drilled to qualify as "proven".
Of the three fossil fuels coal has the most widely distributed reserves; coal is mined in over 100 countries, and on all continents except Antarctica. The largest reserves are found in the USA, Russia, Australia, China, India and South Africa. Major coal exporters SEE ALSO
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