аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

15 Best Facts About Coal

Coal is a natural resource that has been part of human civilization since the beginning of time. It has a blackish or brownish-black colour and can be burned for fuel and generate electricity. In fact in the olden days, coal was used for locomotive trains, and for a very long time, this was what would ensure the train remains steady. As a natural mineral source, coal is composed mainly of carbon and hydrocarbons that are usually released through combustion. That is why it is a bad idea to doze off while directly burning coal to keep warm. So many deaths have been reported caused by that. Moreover, it is the largest source of energy used for generating electricity in the whole world hence its popularity. With that said, what are some of the best facts about coal? Let’s take a look.

1. Coal was created about 300 million years ago

Image by from

As noted earlier, coal is as old as mankind. The processes and conditions that would eventually create coal began 300 million years ago during a period that was known as the Carboniferous period. In this period, the earth was covered in seas that were wide and shallow and surrounded by dense forests. Allegedly, the seas flooded the forested areas, leading to the entrapment of plants and algae plantation that was at the bottom of the swampy wetland. Due to this, over time, the plants and algae were buried and compressed under the weight of mud and vegetation.

2. Coal exists in underground formations

Image by from

In the typical sense, coal exists in underground formations known as seams or simply ‘coal beds.’ It’s kind of how they organize themselves while underground. Impressive how even natural resources are well-formed and organized. Kind of like they have a system. Anyway, one coal seam can be very thick, and by thick I mean 90 feet, and stretches about 1,500 kilometers. Quite huge and that is why coal mining will never really end.

3. The Coal Seams exist in every continent

Photo by on

It has been discovered that coal seams exist on every continent. This means that worldwide, every nation actually has the capacity of mining coal and sustain itself with coal. In some continents, the problem could be resources to mine it but the thing is, coal is there. The largest coal reserves for example are in Russia, the U.S., China, Australia, and India. In these countries, coal mining is one of the largest contributors to their economy.

4. Coal is made up of fragile plant matter

Image by from

Coal is a bit different from other mineral rocks because typical mineral rocks are made of inorganic material. Coal, however, is made up of fragile plant matter and tends to undergo so many changes before it finally becomes the black and shiny thing we are familiar with. That is why in the long run, coal will have undergone so many phases of carbonization, even over millions of years, and is usually found in all stages of development in vast parts of the world.

5. The deeper the coal seam is, the higher it is ranked

Photo by on

So in essence, coal is usually ranked in terms of how much it has changed over the years. One law known as Hilt’s law actually states that the deeper the coal bed tends to be deep on the ground, the higher its rank is. At very deep levels, this resource encounters very high temperatures and pressure which changes or transforms plant debris into carbon. The catalyst of coal making.

6. If coal is less than 61 meters, it can be extracted through surface mining

Photo by on

As noted earlier, the deeper coal is in the ground, the higher its rank is. However, if coal is closer to the surface, it can simply be extracted through something known as surface mining. During this process, miners remove the overlaying vegetation and rock usually referred to as overburden. Economically speaking, surface mining is way cheaper compared to underground mining hence why it is a bit more preferable. Though again the quality of this coal is not as good as the one extracted from deep underground. Fun fact: around two and a half times as much coal can be extracted per each worker, every hour, than what is possible when extracting coal via underground mining.

7. Surface mining is however not so good for the environment

Image by from

As much as surface mining is faster and more convenient compared to underground mining, it can be problematic to the environment. This is because the landscape is usually torn apart in a way that really destroys the habitats and entire ecosystems surrounding the landscape. Furthermore, it can cause landslides and toxic substances to be released into the air and these may endanger the health of people around the premise.

8. Coal supports more than 50% of employment worldwide

Image by from

Given how coal mining requires a lot of manpower for it to be achieved, it has really created employment for all the laborers involved. This is a good thing because, in the long run, it not only generates income but also creates employment for people. In Australia for example, it was reported that coal mining has contributed to around 50,000 jobs and more than 120,000 indirect jobs. In other states and countries, it is the same story. So in essence, coal mining is a huge contributor to the creation of employment and can easily deal with the crisis of unemployment that has always plagued so many countries.

9. Peat type of coal is quite beneficial to gardeners

Image by from

Peat usually transforms into coal under the right circumstances. It is typically an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation that has gone through a bit of carbonization. It is considered a type of coal because it contains high amounts of matter and gases like mercury and methane that is bad news to the environment when burned. Additionally, it can be integrated into the soil to help it retain and release water and nutrients. Because of this, peat can be really valuable to gardeners.

10. Lignite is the one that generates electricity

Image by from

Lignite is a type of coal that is of the lowest rank. It comes from young coal deposits that are about 250 million years old. It is a crumbly brownish rock usually referred to as rosebud or simply brown coal. It retains more moisture than any other type of coal and this makes it expensive and quite dangerous to mine, store, and transport. Because of this, mostly lignite coal is used in power stations that are very close to where it was mined. It is mainly combusted and used to generate electricity and that’s why in countries like Germany and Greece, it provides about 25-50% of the electricity generated by coal.

11. Coal oil was essential for illumination and streetlights

Photo by on

Coal oil is actually a result of heating cannel coal with a controlled amount of oxygen. This process is known as pyrolysis. Coal oil is used mainly for streetlights and other forms of illumination. It was particularly popular in the 20^th century and later on, the widespread use of kerosene ended up reducing the use of coal oil.

12. Coal is used in industrial processes also

Image by from

A type of coal known as Coking coal is widely used in large-scale industrial processes. Usually, the coal is coked. This is simply a process of heating a rock in the absence of oxygen. This ends up reducing moisture in content thus making it more stable. Hence, industries heavily rely on coked coal hence why this type of coal plays a huge role in any industrial field.

13. Sub-Bituminous coal is mainly used for fuel

Image by from

A type of coal known as sub-bituminous is perfect for fuel. This type of coal is about 100 million years old and it contains more carbon at about 35-45%. In many places all over the world, sub-bituminous coal is known as brown coal. It is mainly used as fuel that also generates electricity.

14. Coal is also perfect for forging

Image by from

Remember coal is a sedimentary rock. Because of this, it frequently contains bands or strips of different consistencies that typically mark layers of plant materials that were initially compressed. In the long run, coal ends up having very low ash content; a characteristic that is perfect for forges. Metals can easily be heated and shaped without any inconsistencies.

15. Anthracite is the highest rank of coal

Photo by on

A type of coal known as anthracite is the highest rank of coal with the most amount of carbon of up to 97%. Thus, contains the most amount of energy. Because of this, it is harder and more dense compared to other types of coal.

Coal is indeed a necessary mineral and over the history of mankind, it is one of the natural resources that was being used as fuel. It is one of the resources that has also created employment for so many people hence going to show that indeed coal is a very necessary product for human beings.