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Question

Why are bituminous and anthracite considered to be very good quality of coal ? Why is coal an important industrial resource?

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Solution

Bituminous and anthracite considered to be very good quality of coal because it contains about 80-90%of carbon. And it also emits very less smoke. It is also used in industry for various purposes like raw materials, fuel etc. Anthracite coal is a higher grade than bituminous coal and is formed under greater pressure and at higher temperatures. Anthracite coal contains more carbon than bituminous coal and less sulfur, making it more desirable. Bituminous coal also contains more moisture than anthracite coal.

Different Uses of Coal

Coal is seemingly the cheapest and most essential source of energy. Here is a list of all the major uses of coal.

  • Generating Electricity

Coal is generally used in thermal power generation which further helps to produce electricity. Powdered coal is burnt at high temperature which further turns water into steam. This steam is used to turn turbines at high speed in a strong magnetic field. After this, electricity is finally generated.

  • Production of Steel

In the steel industry, coal is used indirectly to make steel. What happens here is that coal is baked in furnaces to form coal coke. Once this is formed, manufacturers use coal coke to smelt iron ore into iron and make steel. Meanwhile, ammonia gas is usually recovered from coke ovens and this is used to manufacture nitric acid, ammonia salts and fertilizers.

  • Industries

Many industries use coal to manufacture certain products. Some of the popular industries which make use of coal are the cement industry, paper and aluminium industry, chemical and pharma industry amongst others. Coal provides numerous raw materials like benozle, coal tar, sulphate of ammonia, creosote, etc. to chemical industries. Coal is mostly used as a source of energy in most the industries

  • Gasification and Liquefaction

Coal can be turned into a synthetic gas which a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. These gases are intermediate products that can be further converted into different products like urea, methanol, pure hydrogen, and more. Coal can also be turned into a liquid known as synthetic fuel.

However, these chemicals produced from coal are used primarily to make other products. Besides, most of the products out there in the market have coal or coal by-products as components. Some of them include aspirins, solvents, soap, dyes, plastics and fibres which include nylon and rayon.


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