Coal: application and diversity

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 20:55

It is hard to imagine something more indispensable for humanity than coal. Its application is so multifunctional that sometimes you just wonder. At such moments, doubt involuntarily creeps in, and a completely logical question sounds in my head: “What? Is it all coal?!” Everyone is used to considering coal as just a combustible material, but, in fact, its range of applications is so wide that it seems simply incredible.

Formation and origin of coal seams

The appearance of coal on Earth dates back to the distant Paleozoic era, when the planet was still in its development stage and had a completely alien look to us. The formation of coal seams began about 360,000,000 years ago. This happened mainly in the bottom sediments of prehistoric reservoirs, where organic materials accumulated for millions of years.

In other words,coal is the remains of the bodies of giant animals, tree trunks and other living organisms that sank to the bottom, decayed and pressed under the water column. The process of formation of deposits is quite long, and it takes at least 40,000,000 years for the formation of a coal seam.

Coal mining

People have long understood how important and irreplaceable coal is, its properties and applications have been able to evaluate and adapt it on such a grand scale relatively recently. Large-scale development of coal deposits began only in the XVI-XVII centuries. in England, and the extracted material was used mainly for the smelting of iron, necessary for the manufacture of cannons. But its production by today's standards was so insignificant that it could not be called industrial.

Large-scale mining began only towards the middle of the 19th century, when the developing industrialization became indispensable for hard coal. Its use, however, at that time was limited exclusively to incineration. Hundreds of thousands of mines are now operating all over the world, producing more per day than in a few years in the 19th century.

Varieties of hard coal

Deposits of coal seams can reach a depth of several kilometers, going into the thickness of the earth, but not always and not everywhere, because it is heterogeneous both in content and in appearance.

There are 3 main types of this fossil: anthracite, brown coal, and peat, which is very remotely reminiscent of coal.

1. Anthracite is the most ancient formation on the planet of its kindgenus, the average age of this species is 280,000,000 years. It is very hard, high density, and has a carbon content of 96-98%.
2. The hardness and density of brown coal is relatively low, as well as its carbon content. It has an unstable, loose structure and is also oversaturated with water, the content of which in it can reach up to 20%.
3. Peat is also classified as a type of coal, but not yet formed, so it has nothing to do with coal.

Coal properties

Now it is difficult to imagine another material more useful and practical than coal, the main properties and application of which deserve the highest praise. Thanks to the substances and compounds contained in it, it has become simply indispensable in all areas of modern life.

The component of hard coal looks like this:

• average volatile matter reaches 35-40%;
• average ash content does not exceed 15-18%;
• average moisture content fluctuates between 12-15%;
• average calorie content is 5500-7000 kcal/kg.

All these components are what make coal, the application and use of which is so multifunctional. Volatile substances contained in coal provide rapid ignition with the subsequent achievement of high temperatures. Moisture content simplifies processingcoal, caloric content makes its use indispensable in pharmaceuticals and cosmetology, ash itself is a valuable mineral material.

The use of coal in the modern world

The use of minerals is different. Coal was originally only a source of heat, then energy (it turned water into steam), but now the possibilities of coal in this regard are simply unlimited.

The thermal energy from coal combustion is converted into electrical energy, coke-chemical products are made from it and liquid fuel is extracted. Hard coal is the only rock that contains such rare metals as germanium and gallium as impurities. Coke oven gas is extracted from it, which is then processed into benzene, from which coumarone resin is isolated, which is used to make all kinds of paints, varnishes, linoleum and rubber. Aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols and pyridine bases are obtained from coal. During processing, coal is used in the production of vanadium, graphite, sulfur, molybdenum, zinc, lead, and many other valuable and now irreplaceable products.