WHAT IS COAL?

 Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black 

sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata
 in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The
harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded
as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to
elevated temperature and pressure. Coal is composed
primarily of carbon along with variable quantities of
other elements, chiefly sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen and 
nitrogen]

Example chemical structure of coal

 Coal begins as layers of plant matter accumulate at
the bottom of a body of water. For the process to
continue the plant matter must be protected from
biodegradation and oxidization, usually by mud or
acidic water. The wide shallow seas of the 
Carboniferous period provided such conditions. This
trapped atmospheric carbon in the ground in
immense peat bogs that eventually were covered over
and deeply buried by sediments under which they 
metamorphosed into coal. Over time, the chemical
and physical properties of the plant remains (believed
to mainly have been fern-like species antedating more
modern plant and tree species) were changed by
geological action to create a solid material.
COMPONENTS OF COAL
Carbon > 50%
Impurities
◦ Volatile Matter
◦ Sulphur
◦ Chlorine
◦ Phosphorus
◦ Nitrogen
Trace amounts
◦ Dirt
◦ Other elements
 COAL FORMATION
. Fossils have been found ranging from whole or partial tree
trunks and branches to shrubs and vine growth. Evolution
dates back to pre-historic times – to approximately 325
million years ago when the region was covered in lush, dense
vegetation. Coal beds consist of altered plant remains.
When forested swamps died, they sank below the water
and began the process of coal formation. However, more
than a heavy growth of vegetation is needed for the
formation of coal. The debris must be buried, compressed
and protected from erosion. Even though all the biological,
geographic and climatic factors may be favorable, coal
could not be formed unless the plant debris was submerged
and buried by sediments
• . Thereare four stages in coal formation:
peat, lignite, bituminous and anthracite.
The stage depends upon the conditions to
which the plant remains are subjected
after they were buried - the greater the
pressure and heat, the higher the rank of
coal. Higher-ranking coal is denser and
contains less moisture and gases and has a
higher heat value than lower-ranking coal.
• Peat – Stage One
• Peat is the first stage in the formation of coal.
Normally, vegetable matter is oxidized to water and
carbon dioxide. However, if plant material
accumulates underwater, oxygen is not present and so
only partial decomposition occurs. This incomplete
destruction leads to the accumulation of an organic
substance called peat.
• Peat is a fibrous, soft, spongy substance in which plant
remains are easily recognizable. It contains a large
amount of water and must be dried before use.
Therefore, it is seldom used as a source of heat. Peat
burns with a long flame and considerable smoke.
• Lignite – Stage Two

• Lignite, the second stage, is formed

when peat is subjected to increased
vertical pressure from accumulating
sediments. Lignite is dark brown in
colour and, like peat, contains traces of
plants. It is found in many places but is
used only when more efficient fuel is
not available. It crumbles easily and
should not be shipped or handled before
use.
• Bituminous Coal – Stage Three

• Bituminous Coal is the third stage. Added

pressure has made it compact and virtually all
traces of plant life have disappeared. Also
known as "soft coal”, bituminous coal is the type
found in Cape Breton and is our most abundant
fuel. It is greatly used in industry as a source
of heat energy.
Anthracite – Stage Four

• Anthracite, the fourth stage in coal formation,

is also known as "hard coal" because it is hard
and has a high lustre. It appears to have been
formed as a result of combined pressure and
high temperature. Anthracite burns with a
short flame and little smoke.
Environments of Coal formation:

Fresh-water peat lands

Upper delta and alluvial plain
swamps
Marshes
Bogs
Limnic environments
 CLASSIFICATION OF
COAL
LIGNITE
BITUMINOUS
SUB BITUMINOUS
ANTHRACITE
NOTE: The classification of coal is based on contents of volatiles .
However the exact classification varies between countries
 LIGNITE
Lignite, also referred to as brown
coal, is the lowest rank of coal and
used almost exclusively as fuel for
electric power generation. Jet is a
compact form of lignite that is
sometimes polished and has been
used as an ornamental stone since
the Iron Age
SUB-BITUMINOUS
• Sub-bituminous coal, whose
properties range from those of
lignite to those of bituminous
coal are used primarily as fuel
for steam-electric power
generation. Additionally, it is
an important source of light
aromatic hydrocarbons for the
chemical synthesis industry.
 BITUMINOUS
• Bituminous coal, dense mineral,
black but sometimes dark brown,
often with well-defined bands of
bright and dull material, used
primarily as fuel in steam-electric
power generation, with
substantial quantities also used
for heat and power applications in
manufacturing and to make coke
 ANTHRACITE:
• Anthracite, the highest rank; a
harder, glossy, black coal used
primarily for residential and
commercial space heating. It may
be divided further into
metamorphically altered
bituminous coal and petrified oil,
as from the deposits in
Pennsylvania
 Name Volatiles % C Carbon % H Hydrogen % O Oxygen % S Sulfur % Heat content kJ/kg

Braunkohle
(Lignite) 45-65 60-75 6.0-5.8 34-17 0.5-3 <28470

Flammkohle
(Flame coal) 40-45 75-82 6.0-5.8 >9.8 ~1 <32870

Gasflammkohle
(Gas flame 35-40 82-85 5.8-5.6 9.8-7.3 ~1 <33910
coal)

Gaskohle (Gas
28-35 85-87.5 5.6-5.0 7.3-4.5 ~1 <34960
coal)

Fettkohle (Fat
19-28 87.5-89.5 5.0-4.5 4.5-3.2 ~1 <35380
coal)

Esskohle 14-19 89.5-90.5 4.5-4.0 3.2-2.8 ~1 <35380

(Forge coal)

Magerkohle
(Non baking 10-14 90.5-91.5 4.0-3.75 2.8-3.5 ~1 35380
coal)

Anthrazit
(Anthracite) 7-12 >91.5 <3.75 <2.5 ~1 <35300

Percent by weight
 Physical properties of coal
  PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF COAL The physical properties are
concerned with the characteristics of coal in its natural state, or
prior to its end use as a fuel. For example, the hardness and
grindability of coal determine the maintenance cost for coal mining,
handling, and pulverizing equipment; the specific gravity of coal and
its associated minerals determines the coal preparation technique
used in a cleaning plant as well as the capacity of coal bins, boats
and size of cargo, and other coal storage facilities. The physical
properties are, of course, dependent on the chemical constituents
of coal, and all properties are interrelated. Specific Gravity The
specific gravity (sp gr) of a solid is the ratio of the weight of a
cubic foot of the solid to the weight of a cubic foot of water. The
specific gravity of pure coal has been reported to range between
1.23 to 1.72 and increases with the change in rank from lignite to
anthracite. This means that it is 1.23 to 1.72 times heavier than
water. 
 Chemical Properties Of Coal
 The principal materials used for fuel are petroleum and coal. Ordinary hard
coal is called anthracite coal, and the soft, lumpy kind that crumbles very
easily is called bituminous coal. All fuels are composed of carbon, or 
compounds of carbon and hydrogen, called hydrocarbons, combined with such
impurities as ash, sulphur, nitrogen, etc.
 When fuel burns the chemical change which takes place is that the oxygen of
the air combines with the hydrogen and carbon. The manner in which coal
burns depends upon its composition, the nature of the fire, and the air
supply.
 If the draught of air is insufficient, the gases are only partly consumed. The
oxygen then unites with the hydrogen and leaves the carbon in fine particles
of soot or smoke, which float away with the draught or are deposited upon
the surface of the boiler. Moreover, when the air is not sufficiently hot,
partial combustion again results, changes the hydrogen to water vapor, and
sets the carbon free as soot or smoke. If the gases become chilled, and pass
off as a whole unburned, they thus carry away, not only their own heat of
combustion, but also the heat which has been absorbed for their liberation.
Smoke is therefore the sign of the imperfect combustion of hydrocarbons.
 EARLY AGE
 Used for heating as early as the time of cavemen and by the Romans in 100-200 A.D.
A number of processes have been developed by which solid coal can be converted to a liquid
or gaseous form for use as a fuel. Conversion has a number of advantages. In a liquid or
gaseous form, the fuel may be easier to transport, and the conversion process removes a
number of impurities from the original coal (such as sulfur) that have environmental
disadvantages.
 Saltmaking- Coal-fired steam boilers used to separate salt from brine.
 Iron Industry - Coal used for heating iron ore and to make Coke
 Steam engines- used to drive machinery at flouring mills, gristmills, rolling mills, breweries, glass
manufactories, and nail factories. Also used in trains and steamships.
 For many centuries, coal was burned in small
stoves to produce heat in homes and factories.
Today, the most important use of coal, both
directly and indirectly, is still as a fuel. The
largest single consumer of coal as a fuel is the
electrical power industry. The combustion of coal
in power generating plants is used to make. Coal is
no longer widely used to heat homes and buildings,
as was the case a half century ago, but it is still
used in industries such as paper production,
cement and ceramic manufacture, iron and steel
 production, and chemical manufacture for heating
and for steam generation.
 Miscellaneous Products Made
from Coal Today
 Carbolic acid  Rubber cement
 Fire Proofing fertilizer
 Food Preservatives  Paint pigments
 Billiard Balls  Sulfur
 Medicines  TNT explosive
 Perfumes  Linoleum
 Baking Powder
Coking and use of coke
 Coke is a solid carbonaceous residue derived from low-ash, low-sulfur
bituminous coal from which the volatile constituents are driven off by
baking in an oven without oxygen at temperatures as high as 1,000 °C (1,832
°F) so that the fixed carbon and residual ash are fused together.
Metallurgical coke is used as a fuel and as a reducing agent in smelting iron
 ore in a blast furnace. The product is cast iron and is too rich in dissolved
carbon,so must be treated further to make steel.
 The coke must be strong enough to resist the weight of overburden in the
blast furnace, which is why coking coal is so important in making steel by
the conventional route. However, the alternative route to is 
direct reduced iron, where any carbonaceous fuel can be used to make
sponge or pelletised iron. Coke from coal is grey, hard, and porous and has a
heating value of 24.8 million Btu/ton (29.6 MJ/kg). Some cokemaking
processes produce valuable by-products that include coal tar, ammonia,
light oils, and "coal gas".
 Petroleum coke is the solid residue obtained in oil refining, which resembles
coke but contains too many impurities to be useful in metallurgical
Cultural usage

 Coal is the official state mineral of Kentucky and the 

official state rock of Utah. Both U.S. states have a historic
link to coal mining.
 Some cultures uphold that children who misbehave will
receive only a lump of coal from Santa Claus for
Christmas in their stockings instead of presents.
 It is also customary and lucky in Scotland and the North
of England to give coal as a gift on New Year's Day. It
happens as part of First-Footing and represents warmth
for the year to come.
 Coal Combustion Product Uses

 Fly Ash:
 concrete, structural fill, and waste
stabilization
 Bottom Ash:
 structural fill, snow and ice control, road
bases, and concrete.
 FGD Material:
 wallboard manufacture
 Boiler Slag:
 blasting grit and roofing applications
Environmental effects
 There are a number of adverse environmental effects of coal mining and burning, specially in power stations
 including:
 Generation of hundreds of millions of tons of waste products, including fly ash, bottom ash, 
flue gas desulfurization sludge, that contain mercury,uranium, thorium, arsenic, and other heavy metals
 Acid rain from high sulfur coal
 Interference with groundwater and water table levels
 Contamination of land and waterways and destruction of homes from fly ash spills such as 
Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill
 Impact of water use on flows of rivers and consequential impact on other land-uses
 Dust nuisance
 Subsidence above tunnels, sometimes damaging infrastructure
 Coal-fired power plants without effective fly ash capture are one of the largest sources of human-caused 
background radiation exposure
 Coal-fired power plants shorten nearly 24,000 lives a year in the United States, including 2,800 from lung cancer[44]
 Coal-fired power plants emit mercury, selenium, and arsenic which are harmful to human health and the
environment[45]
 Release of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, which causes climate change and global warming according to the 
IPCC and the EPA. Coal is the largest contributor to the human-made increase of CO 2 in the air[46]