Coal

Types of coal

As geological processes apply pressure to dead biotic matter over time, under suitable conditions it is transformed successively into:

Peat, considered to be a precursor of coal, has industrial importance as a fuel in some regions, for example, Ireland and Finland.

Lignite, also referred to as brown coal, is the lowest rank of coal and used almost exclusively as fuel for electric power generation. Jet is a compact form of lignite that is sometimes polished and has been used as an ornamental stone since the Iron Age.

Sub-bituminous coal, whose properties range from those of lignite to those of bituminous coal and are used primarily as fuel for steam-electric power generation. Additionally, it is an important source of light aromatic hydrocarbons for the chemical synthesis industry.

Bituminous coal, dense mineral, black but sometimes dark brown, often with well-defined bands of bright and dull material, used primarily as fuel in steam-electric power generation, with substantial quantities also used for heat and power applications in manufacturing and to make coke.

Anthracite, the highest rank; a harder, glossy, black coal used primarily for residential and commercial space heating. It may be divided further into metamorphically altered bituminous coal and petrified oil, as from the deposits in Pennsylvania.

Graphite, technically the highest rank, but difficult to ignite and is not so commonly used as fuel: it is mostly used in pencils and, when powdered, as a lubricant.

Major countries

China

USA

India

Australia

Russia

South Africa

Germany

Indonesia

Poland

Major Coal Producers

The largest producers of hard coal, based on 2006 estimates, are:

China - 2482 million tonnes

USA - 990 million tonnes

India - 427 million tonnes

Australia - 309 million tonnes

South Africa - 244 million tonnes

Coal Exporters

Only 18% of hard coal production is traded on the world coal market. Of the 815 million tonnes traded in 2006, 593 million tonnes was for power stations with 22 million tonnes being coking coals.

The largest coal exporters, based on 2006 estimates, are:

Australia - 231 million tonnes (steam 111mt; coking 121 mt)

Indonesia - 129 million tonnes (steam 104mt; coking 25 mt)

Russian Federation - 92 million tonnes (steam 82mt; coking 10 mt)

South Africa - 69 million tonnes (steam 68mt; coking 1 mt)

Colombia - 60 million tonnes (steam 60mt)

USA 45 million tonnes (steam 20mt; coking 25 mt)

Coal Importers

Approximately 54% of global coal consumption is in Asia. The largest coal importers, based on 2006 estimates, are:

Japan - 178 million tonnes (steam 105mt; coking 73 mt)

Korea - 80 million tonnes (steam 60mt; coking 20 mt)

Chinese Taipei - 64 million tonnes (steam 58mt; coking 6 mt)

UK - 51 million tonnes (steam 44mt; coking 7 mt)

Germany - 41 million tonnes (steam 33mt; coking 9 mt)

India - 41 million tonnes (steam 22mt; coking 19 mt)

China - 38 million tonnes (steam 29mt; coking 9 mt)

Source

Leading Industry Contributors

1 Anglo Coal
2 BHP-Billiton Ltd.
3 Carbones del Cerrejon
4 Carbones del Guasare S.A.
5 China Coal
6 China National Coal Group Corporation
7 China Shenhua Energy
8 Datong Coal Industry Company Limited
9 Elk Valley Coal Partnership,
10 Fording Canadian Coal Trust
11 Komapnia Weglowa
12 Peabody Energy Corporation
13 Rio Tinto Ltd.
14 RosUgol
15 Sasol
16 Teck Cominco
17 Ugol'naya Kompaniya Yuzhnyi Kuzbass OAO
18 Xishan Coal and Electricity Power

19 Xstrata Plc
20 Yankuang Group

Source

Environmental impact of coal

The use of coal in combustion - whether to generate electricity or heat, or for use in steel or cement manufacturing - creates a number of environmental challenges. The primary environmental issues relating to the use of coal are:

Viable, highly effective technologies have been developed to tackle the release of pollutants – such as oxides of sulphur (SOx) and nitrogen (NOx) – and particulate and trace elements, such as mercury.

More recently, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) have become a concern because of their link to climate change.

Climate change is a global challenge and requires a concerted global response. CO₂ makes up 80% of anthropogenic (human induced) GHG emissions.

Over the last century, the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere has risen, in large part driven by fossil fuel use but also because of other factors, such as land-use change and deforestation.

There is growing recognition that technology developments have to be part of the solution to climate change. This is particularly true for coal because its use is growing in so many large economies, including the largest and fastest growing countries such as China and India. There are two primary ways of reducing CO₂ emissions from coal use.

The greatest potential is offered by carbon capture and storage (CCS) which can reduce CO₂ emissions to the atmosphere by 80-90%.

Improving efficiencies at coal-fired power stations – meaning lower emissions per unit of energy output.

CCS technologies enable emissions of CO₂ to be stripped out of the exhaust stream from coal combustion or gasification and stored in geological formations so that they do not enter the atmosphere. CCS offers the potential of moving towards near-zero emissions to the atmosphere from coal-fired and gas-fired power stations.

Source

Apex bodies

Australia

Australian Coal Association

Cooperative Research Centre for GHG Technologies

Energy Supply Association of Australia

Minerals Council of Australia

NSW Minerals Council

Queensland Resources Council

Canada

The Coal Association of Canada

Energy Council of Canada