Cortes, Rejie Boy B.

March 3, 2022
BSEM- III Engr. Nathaniel D. Tiu

COAL MINING

Guide Questions:
1. Enumerate at least “Five (5) factors to consider for the usage of Coal” and discuss
each of these factors and why is it a significant factor in the utilization of coal. (15
points)
Heating Value
- There are four main types of coal with different heating values and this leads to
a significant factor in the utilization of coal. First is anthracite, carbon contents
between 86% and 96%, and about 15,000 Btu/lb heating value this is a highly
desirable fuel because of its high heat content and low sulfur content. The
second is bituminous, carbon contents between 45% and 86% and about 10,500
to 15,500 Btu/lb heating value. This is extensively used also as fuel and normally
has a high sulfur content. The third one is subbituminous, has a carbon content
between 35 and 45%, and has about 8,300 to 13,000 Btu/lb heating value. The
last one is lignite with carbon contents between 25 and 35% and about 4,000 to
8,300 Btu/lb heating value, this is a low heat content, low sulfur content, and
limited supplies in most areas.

Ash melting temperature

- This ash melting temperature is a significant parameter for the design and
operation of gasification systems in the utilization of the coal, for those that
operate below the ash fusion temperature so as not to incur fusion, sintering, or
discordant of the ash, as well as those gasification systems that operate above
the ash fusion temperature to promote slag production.

Sulfur and other impurities

- Most coal requires some preparation before use. Preparation may range from
simply crushing to provide a size consist suitable for certain types of boilers to
extensive size reduction and cleaning to remove sulfur and ash-forming mineral
matter. Coal cleaning is accomplished through the physical separation of
particles low in mineral content from particles high in mineral content. In the
future, it may include chemical and biological treatment for the removal of certain
impurities from coal.

Mechanical strength
 - There are different ways of estimating coal strength and
hardness—compressive strength, fracture toughness, or grind ability but all will
show a trend relative to rank, type, and grade of the coal. The measurement of
coal strength is affected by the size of the test specimen, the orientation of stress
relative to banding, and the confining pressure of the test.

Many other chemical and physical properties

- Many of the properties of coal are strongly rank-dependent, although other
factors such as maceral composition and the presence of mineral matter also
influence its properties. Several techniques have been developed for studying
the physical and chemical properties of coal, including density measurements,
X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, infrared
spectrophotometry, mass spectroscopy, gas chromatography, thermal analysis,
and electrical, optical, and magnetic measurements.

2. Discuss the following types of coal below: (Part of your discussion should have the
following details: (a) other names and its different types if they have (b) physical
properties (color, specific gravity, hardness and etc.) (c) origin (what era does this type
of coal was formed? how it is formed? (d) chemical properties (carbon content, heat
value, etc) (e) where can it be found and its uses?

This table shows my answer to the questions mentioned above:

TYPES OF COAL

(a) other names

Lignite
Brown coal

(b) physical properties

- Lignite is brownish-black in color

- The lignite structure may be analogous to

reinforced concrete, in that dehydrated cellulose
residues play the role of the reinforcing steel and
the coalified lignin the cement.

(c) origin

Lignite, or brown coal, was discovered in eastern

 Germany at the end of the 18th century.

(d) chemical properties

Carbon content of around 25–35%, a high inherent

moisture content, sometimes as high as 66%, and an ash
content ranging from 6% to 19%, compared with 6–12%

(e) where can it be found and its uses?

- The lignite coal is burned and used in industrial

boilers. 79% of all lignite coal is used in these
boilers to generate electricity, and 13.5% is used to
generate synthetic natural gas. A small 7.5% is
used to produce various fertilizer products

- Lignite is the lowest-ranking coal in the

classification system, and it is mostly utilized as a
power-plant fuel.

(a) other names

black lignite
SUB-BITUMINOUS
(b) physical properties

Sub-bituminous coals may be dull, dark brown to black,

soft and crumbly at the lower end of the range, to bright
jet-black, hard, and relatively strong at the upper end.
They contain 15-30% inherent moisture by weight and are
non-coking (undergo little swelling upon heating).

(c) origin

Most subbituminous coal is relatively young geologically,

generally dating from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras
(from about 251 million years ago to the present);
however, the rank of a coal is more dependent on the
temperature reached during burial than on age.

(d) chemical properties

Subbituminous coal contains 42 to 52 percent carbon (on

a dry, ash-free basis) and has calorific values ranging
from about 19 to 26 megajoules per kilogram (about
8,200 to 11,200 British thermal units per pound).
 (e) where can it be found and its uses?

- It has been estimated that nearly half of the world's

proven coal reserves are made up of
subbituminous coal and lignite, including deposits
in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany and
other western European countries, Russia,
Ukraine, and the United States.

- Sub-bituminous coal is used in generating steam

for the production of electricity, and thus frequently
used in power plants. Moreover, sub-bituminous
coal can be liquefied and converted into petroleum
and gas.

(a) other names

BITUMINOUS Soft coal

(b) physical properties

Bituminous coal is dark brown to black, hard, but friable. It

is commonly composed of thin bands of alternating bright
and dull material.

(c) origin

Like other ranks of coal, bituminous coal forms from thick

accumulations of dead plant material that are buried
faster than they can decay. This usually takes place in
peat bogs, where falling plant debris is submerged in
standing water.

(d) chemical properties

Chemical composition, a typical composition is about

84.4% carbon, 5.4% hydrogen, 6.7% oxygen, 1.7%
nitrogen, and 1.8% sulfur, on a weight basis.

(e) where can it be found and its uses?

- Bituminous coal accounts for almost half of all the

coal that is used for energy in the United States. It
is mainly mined in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and
West Virginia. Outside the U.S., nations such as
Russia and Colombia rely on bituminous coal for
energy and industrial fuel.
 - Bituminous coal is used to generate electricity and
is an important fuel and raw material for making
coking coal or use in the iron and steel industry.

ANTHRACITE (a) other names

Hard coal

(b) physical properties

- Anthracite is shiny black, hard and brittle

- has the highest fixed-carbon content

(approximately 86–98%). Due to its low volatile
matter (2–12%), anthracite's combustion process
is slow. Most anthracites have low-moisture
content (about 3–6%) and their heating value is
34.890 KJ/Kg.

(c) origin

Anthracite (the highest coal rank) material, which appears

to have been derived from algae, is known from the
Proterozoic Eon (approximately 2.5 billion to 541 million
years ago) of Precambrian time. Siliceous rocks of the
same age contain fossil algae and fungi.

(d) chemical properties

- Chemical composition: carbon − 77%, ash −

6-16%

- Trace elements: sulfur − 0.23-1.2%, silica oxide −

2.2-5.4%, alumina − 2%, ferric oxide − 0.4%

(e) where can it be found and its uses?

- Anthracite is the least plentiful form of coal. In the

United States it is found mostly in northeastern
Pennsylvania and makes up less than 2 percent of
all coal reserves in the country. Smaller amounts of
anthracite occur in South Africa, Australia, eastern
Ukraine, western Canada, China, and other
countries.
- Anthracite can be used in hand-fired stoves,
domestic fuel, power generation, and automatic
stocker furnaces
3. Enumerate at least “Three (3) Basis in determining the Rank of Coal” and explain
each of these basis and why do you it is relevant in determining the rank of coal.

- Anthracite, Bituminous, Subbituminous

Coal rank classifications are important because they provide valuable information
to commercial users and to researchers studying the origin of coal. Also one of
the relevant in determining the rank of coal is the heating value which determines
how much coal is required to produce a given amount of steam and hence to
generate a given amount of electricity, and the rank thus represents the
fundamental basis for assessing the values of coals, per tonne, on the steaming
coal market.

4. Is coal a mineral? The Mineralogical Society of America defines a "mineral" as: "a
naturally-occurring, inorganic solid which possesses a characteristic internal atomic
structure and a definite chemical composition." Is coal organic or inorganic?
- Coal is organic, because coal is made of decomposed plants which are organic
in short it formed from decaying organic matter. In addition, it is organic and
thus does not meet the ASTM's definition of "mineral"