Question

Describe how coal is formed from dead vegetation? What is this process called?

Answer 1

Part 1: Carbonization:

• Dead remains of plants got buried under the earth millions of years ago.
• Our earth had dense forests in low-lying wetland areas about 300 million years ago.
• Due to natural processes like flooding, these forests got buried under the soil.
• As more soil was deposited, they were compressed.
• With an increase in depth, the temperature also rises.
• Under high pressure and high temperature, dead plants got slowly converted into coal.
• The process of coal formation is very slow and might take millions of years.
• The process of conversion of dead remains of plants into coal is called carbonization.

Part 2: Uses of Coal :

• Coal is a typical conventional solid fuel that has been exploited as an important source of fuel by humankind for thousands of years.
• The main use of coal is as fuel for electric power plants, for which more than 50% of the coal produced in the world is used.
• It is also used in making carbon fibers, medicines, and synthetic petroleum-based fuels.