Coal as a Fuel and Environmental Impact
– Coal has been used as a fuel for thousands of years.
– The Industrial Revolution increased coal consumption with the invention of the steam engine.
– Coal supplies about a quarter of the world’s primary energy and over a third of its electricity.
– Some industrial processes, such as iron and steel-making, rely on coal.
– The extraction and use of coal contribute to premature death, illness, and environmental damage.
– Coal is the largest anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide emissions, contributing to climate change.
– Burning coal emitted 14 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2020, accounting for 40% of total fossil fuel emissions and over 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
– The use of coal damages the environment.
– Many countries have reduced or eliminated their use of coal power as part of the worldwide energy transition.
– The United Nations Secretary General called for a halt in the construction of new coal plants by 2020.
Global Coal Use and Demand
– China is the largest consumer and importer of coal, accounting for almost half of the world’s annual coal production.
– India is the second-largest consumer of coal, followed by Indonesia and Australia as the top exporters.
– Global coal use was 8.3 billion tonnes in 2022.
– Global coal demand is projected to remain at record levels in 2023.
– To meet the Paris Agreement target, coal use needs to be halved from 2020 to 2030, as agreed upon in the Glasgow Climate Pact.
Etymology and Geology of Coal
– The word ‘coal’ originated from the Old English ‘col’ and is hypothesized to come from the Proto-Germanic word ‘*kula’ and the Proto-Indo-European root ‘*u-lo-‘ meaning live coal.
– Germanic cognates include words like ‘kole,’ ‘cole,’ ‘kool,’ ‘chol,’ ‘Kohle,’ and ‘kol.’
– The Irish word ‘gual’ is also a cognate via the Indo-European root.
– The etymology suggests a connection to the burning nature of coal.
– The word ‘coal’ has variations across different languages.
– Coal is a sedimentary rock formed from plant matter in rock strata called coal seams.
– It is composed primarily of carbon, with varying amounts of hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
– Coal forms from the conversion of dead plant matter into peat, which is then transformed into coal over millions of years through heat and pressure.
– The grade of coal produced depends on the maximum pressure and temperature reached during coalification.
– Most coal beds were deposited during the Carboniferous and Permian periods, which represent just 2% of the Earth’s geologic history.
Types and Classification of Coal
– Peat is a precursor of coal.
– Lignite, or brown coal, is the lowest rank of coal.
– Jet is a compact form of lignite used as an ornamental stone.
– Sub-bituminous coal has properties between lignite and bituminous coal.
– Bituminous coal is used primarily for steam-electric power generation.
– Thermal coal is burned to generate electricity.
– Metallurgical coal is burned at high temperatures to make steel.
– Hilts law states that deeper coal has a higher rank.
– Various international standards exist for coal classification.
– Volatile content is an important distinction in coal classification.
History of Coal and Use of Coal
– Neolithic inhabitants in China used lignite for ornaments.
– Coal from the Fushun mine in China was used to smelt copper.
– Marco Polo described the abundance of coal in China.
– Theophrastus mentioned the use of coal as fuel in ancient Greece.
– Romans in Britain used coal for iron-working and heating.
– Coal was used in funeral pyres during the Bronze Age in Britain.
– Romans in Britain traded and used coal for various purposes.
– Coal became important in Britain during the High Middle Ages.
– Cooking and home heating with coal became widespread in London.
– The socioeconomic effects of the switch to coal in Britain were significant.
– The Industrial Revolution led to the large-scale use of coal.
– In 1700, five-sixths of the world’s coal was mined in Britain.
– Coal was crucial in replacing watermills as a source of energy.
– The European Coal and Steel Community was based on coal trading.
– Coal continues to be used as a significant source of home heating fuel in certain areas.
– Coal composition can be analyzed proximately or ultimately.
– Proximate analysis includes moisture, volatile matter, fixed carbon, and ash.
– Ultimate analysis includes carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur.
– Ash composition varies, including oxides like SiO, CaO, MgO, and TiO.
– Minor components of coal include substances like mercury, arsenic, and selenium.
– Coke is derived from coking coal and used in manufacturing steel.
– Coking coal is baked in an oven without oxygen to drive off volatile constituents.
– Metallurgical coke acts as a fuel and reducing agent in smelting iron ore.
– Coke production results in carbon monoxide and waste carbon dioxide.
– Scrap steel and direct reduced iron are alternatives to coke in iron production.
– Coal gasification is used to produce syngas for electricity generation and fuel production.
– Syngas can be converted into transportation fuels or chemicals.
– Fischer-Tropsch technology can convert syngas into motor vehicle fuels.
– Gasification combined with Fischer-Tropsch was used by Sasol in South Africa.
– Gasification involves mixing coal with oxygen and steam, releasing carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
– Coal can be used as a feedstock to produce a wide range of chemical products.
– Coal gasification is a common route to produce primary chemicals like methanol and hydrogen.
– Syngas can be used as a precursor to manufacture derivative chemicals.
– Chemicals produced from coal include olefins, acetic acid, formaldehyde, and ammonia.
– Coal Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is a type of fossil fuel, formed when dead plant matter decays into peat and is converted into coal by the heat and pressure of deep burial over millions of years. Vast deposits of coal originate in former wetlands called coal forests that covered much of the Earth's tropical land areas during the late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) and Permian times.
| Sedimentary rock | |
 Bituminous coal, the most common coal grade | |
| Composition | |
|---|---|
| Primary | carbon |
| Secondary | |
Coal is used primarily as a fuel. While coal has been known and used for thousands of years, its usage was limited until the Industrial Revolution. With the invention of the steam engine, coal consumption increased.[citation needed] In 2020, coal supplied about a quarter of the world's primary energy and over a third of its electricity. Some iron and steel-making and other industrial processes burn coal.
The extraction and use of coal causes premature death and illness. The use of coal damages the environment, and it is the largest anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide contributing to climate change. Fourteen billion tonnes of carbon dioxide were emitted by burning coal in 2020, which is 40% of the total fossil fuel emissions and over 25% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. As part of worldwide energy transition, many countries have reduced or eliminated their use of coal power. The United Nations Secretary General asked governments to stop building new coal plants by 2020. Global coal use was 8.3 billion tonnes in 2022. Global coal demand is set to remain at record levels in 2023. To meet the Paris Agreement target of keeping global warming below 2 °C (3.6 °F) coal use needs to halve from 2020 to 2030, and "phasing down" coal was agreed upon in the Glasgow Climate Pact.
The largest consumer and importer of coal in 2020 was China, which accounts for almost half the world's annual coal production, followed by India with about a tenth. Indonesia and Australia export the most, followed by Russia.
