Tag: coal

Introduction

We use a variety of materials for our necessities. Some are naturally occurring, while others are the result of human labour. Natural resources are plentiful as a result of the abundance of numerous resources in nature. Carbonization contributes significantly to global coal production. Coke is the primary by-product of high-temperature carbonization; approximately 4% of the total input coal is converted into tar and crude benzol (light oil), with significant amounts of gas also produced. The following useful products are produced by processing coal without the use of air:

1. Coal and Gas

2. Coke

3. Tar from coal

Coal and Gas

Coal gas is a combustible vapour fuel extracted from coal that is piped to customers. Town gas is a broader term for gaseous fuels produced for commercial sale and community use. In some places, it is also known as manufactured gas, syngas, or producer gas.

Depending on the techniques used to create it, coal gas is a mixture of gases such as, and, as well as volatile hydrocarbons, with minor quantities of non-caloric gases such as and as impurities.

In the nineteenth century, coal gas, which was primarily a by-product of the cooking process, was widely used for lighting, cooking, and heating. The rise in natural gas production coincided with industrialization and urbanisation, and the by-products, coal tars and ammonia, served as key chemical feedstock for the chemical industry.

Coal, oil, and gas production

Coal gas is produced when coal is heated in an enclosed chamber with no air.

When bituminous coal is heated to 400 °C, it relaxes and coalesces, releasing water steam, rich gas, and tar. Crude oil, coal, and gas are examples of fossil fuels. Over centuries, coal oil was produced from the remains of dead trees and other plant debris. Crude oil and natural gas were extracted from dead sea creatures.

Composition of Coal gas

Coal gas is a gaseous mixture of \({H_2}\), CO, and \({H_4}\) that is produced and used as fuel by destructive distillation (burning bituminous coal in an inert atmosphere). Steam is occasionally introduced to combine with the heated coke, increasing gas production. It is primarily composed of \({H_2}\) and \({H_4}\), with trace amounts of other hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide (a lethal gas), carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. It functions as both a fuel and an illuminant.

Uses of Coal

Coal is used for a variety of things, including

1. Electricity generation: Coal is primarily used to generate electricity. When thermal coal is burned, steam is produced, which powers turbines and generators that generate energy.

2. Liquification, as well as Gasification, is the process by which coal is burned and crushed with steam to produce town gas for home heating and lighting. It is liquefied to produce synthetic fuels that are similar to petrol and diesel.

3. Chemical, as well as other industries: Syngas can be used to create chemicals such as methanol and urea. Coal is widely used in the paper, textile, and glass industries. Coal is also used to make carbon fibre and other speciality components such as silicon metals.

Define Coke and State its Properties

Coal is distilled destructively to produce a high-carbon product. Coke is known as a virtually pure form of carbon due to its high carbon concentration. It’s a greyish-black solid that’s hard and porous. It is used as a reducing agent and a fuel in mineral extraction and steel production.

1. It has nearly pure carbon properties.

2. It is hard, porous, and black.

3. When it burns, it produces no smoke.

Uses of Coke

1. In metal extraction, it is used as a reducing agent.

2. Used in the steelmaking process.

3. It can also be used to generate energy.

Define Coal Tar and State its Properties

Coal Tar is a by-product of the coke manufacturing process. It has the same colour as coke, but it is a thick, viscous liquid with a foul odour. It is used to make synthetic colours, pharmaceuticals, fragrances, plastics, paints, and other products. Not only that, but it is also capable of producing naphthalene balls.

Coal tar was discovered in 1665 and used for medicinal purposes in the 1800s. Itchy skin, UV sensitivity, allergic reactions, and skin discolouration are all potential side effects. It’s unclear whether taking it during pregnancy is safe for the baby, and it’s not usually recommended to take it while breastfeeding.

Coal Tar Applications

Coal tar is primarily used to produce coal-tar products, as well as refined chemicals such as coal-tar pitch and creosote. Coal tar treatments have long been used to treat skin conditions such as eczema and dandruff.

Summary

Coal, as a solid carbon-rich material that is black/brown and occurs in stacked sedimentary layers, is one of the most important fossil fuels. In the future, coal liquefaction techniques could provide readily available, non-polluting fuels and chemical raw materials. Analytical criteria play a significant role in the four coal refining processes described above. Fumes, oils, and tars, as well as soluble but low-volatile extracts, pitches, and cokes, must all be investigated.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do fossil fuels pollute the atmosphere?

Ans. The combustion of fossil fuels produces significant amounts of air pollution and pollutants such as \({H_2}\), CO, and \(S{O_2}\), all of which can contribute to climate change by increasing the greenhouse effect.

2. What exactly is petroleum?

Ans. Petrol, plastic, and other chemical compounds are derived from petroleum, a mineral oil found beneath the ground or in the sea. Petroleum by-products include wax, kerosene, LPG, petrol, lubricating oil, and diesel.

3. What are the different types of coal?

Ans. The least valuable and softest type of coal, with the lowest carbon concentration, is peat. Because of its high moisture content, it is unsuitable for use as fuel.

Anthracite coal is the best available. This type of coal is also known as hard coal. It contains the most carbon. It only produces a small amount of smoke.

Lignite is slightly firmer than peat, but it is still quite soft. It contains more carbon than peat.

Introduction

Coal appears to be a dense carbon-rich substance that is brown/black and formed in layered sedimentary rock. This is one of the most important major fossil fuels. It is said to contain half of the total carbon-containing substance by weight generated by the compression and stiffening of modified plant residues, primarily peat settlements. Because of differences in plant matter, the extent of coalification, and the impurity spectrum, there are many types of coal. French explorers and fur traders discovered North American coal seams near the coast of Grand Lake in southern New Brunswick, Canada, in the 1600s. Coal deposits were discovered wherever rivers flowed deeper into the lake, but they were also excavated by hand from the surface, and caves cut into the rock. Coal is not the most abundant fossil fuel, but it has the longest history.

What do you understand by coal?

Coal appears to be a shiny black rock. Coal contains a tremendous amount of energy. When coal is burned, it emits both heat and light energy. The cave dwellers used coal for warmth, but ultimately for cooking. It could have been very simple to burn because it worked better than wood and did not need to be retrieved as frequently. People began using coal to heat their homes in the 1800s. Coal was used as a fuel source for both trains and ships. Nowadays, coal is primarily used to generate electricity. The four primary types or grades of coal are peat, anthracite, lignite, and bituminous coal.

What is the Coal Story?

As they died, the plants sank to the bottom of the wetlands. Throughout the years, excessive amounts of vegetation have been coated in dirt and water. They had been compressed by the weight. The heat and pressure eventually converted these plants into coal. Because coal is produced by plants, and plants obtain their energy from the sun, the power in coal is also derived from the sun. Coal, as we know it today, formed over millions of years. We can’t even produce that much in such a short amount of time. This is why coal is considered non-renewable.

How is Coal Obtained

• This is derived from beneath deposits that are either ores coatings or are large enough to be extracted profitably.
• Mining could be done in one of two ways: underground or open pit. The type of extraction is determined by the overall depth of such a deposit.
• Vertical tunnels are used to access resources, whereas surface and open-pit mining remove dirt and rocks on top of mineral reserves.
• Surface mining costs less than underground mining. As a result, surface mining is much more common.

Also Read: Coal Formation Stages

Uses of Coal

• Coal is now used not only as a cooking fuel but also as a heat source, particularly in cold climates and developing countries. This provides a much cheaper method of cooking as well as heat production in areas where liquified petroleum gas and Biogas are not available.
• It is frequently used as a basic component in the production of everyday commodities such as steel and iron. Coal has been used indirectly to produce steel in the steel industry.
• It is used in a variety of industries to manufacture a wide range of products. Coal is used in a variety of industries, including cement production, paper manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Coal is used by the chemical industry to produce a variety of raw materials such as benzol and sulphate of sodium.
• Coal is used to make carbon fibre. It is the strongest and lightest element available for making stabilisers, sports equipment, and even mountain motorcycles.
• It aids in the development of alumina mills.
• Likewise, it could have been converted into gas or liquid, which could have been used to power vehicles such as automobiles, motorcycles, and ships.
• Furthermore, it is primarily used as fuel in the combustion process to generate energy. Thermal coal is frequently used to generate energy in power plants.
• Activated carbon is made from coal. Activated carbon is used in air and water purification filters, as well as renal dialysis technology.
• Activated charcoal has been used in the production of cosmetics and facial treatments.

Summary

Coal, a carbon-rich substance that is usually black or brown, is found in multilayered rock deposits. This is one of the most important fossil fuels and can be found all over the world. For thousands of years, heat, and pressure on flora accumulated in old swampy wetlands have produced coal. Its volume, thickness, rigidity, and density all vary. It is constantly used as a fuel, an ash source, and a producer of various chemicals used in the synthesis of dyes, lubricants, and pharmaceuticals. Exploration for alternative energy sources has occasionally refocused attention on the processing of coal into liquid fuels; coal liquefaction methods were also recognised in the early twentieth century.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is coal’s environmental impact?

Ans. Particulate pollutants, ozone in the earth’s crust, acid rain, and smog are all environmental drawbacks of using coal as a source of energy. Fly ash granules are released into the atmosphere after coal is burned with fuel oil, causing air pollution problems.

2. What exactly is the coal formula?

Ans. The four types of coal are anthracite, bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite. The chemical investigation yields an empirical formula for bituminous coal, such as \({C_{137}}{H_{97}}{O_9}NS\), as well as anthracite, \({C_{240}}{H_{90}}{O_4}NS\).

3. What contaminants are present in coal?

Ans. Impurities such as sulphur and nitrogen have been discovered in coal. When coal burns, such pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere.