Formation of Coal

3.1 Formation of Coal

Description

Quick Overview

This section explains the formation of coal from dead vegetation over millions of years, detailing the processes involved and the significance of coal as a fossil fuel.

Standard

The section discusses how coal is formed from the remains of ancient forests buried under soil, highlighting carbonisation as a key process. It also touches on the uses of coal and its products such as coke, coal tar, and coal gas, emphasizing its importance in energy production and industrial applications.

Detailed

Formation of Coal

Coal is a significant exhaustible natural resource formed from the remains of ancient vegetation subjected to heat and pressure over millions of years. Particularly, dense forests that existed approximately 300 million years ago in low-lying wetland areas became buried under soil due to natural events like flooding. Over time, increased layers of soil led to high temperatures and pressure conditions that caused the decomposition of dead organic matter into coal through a process known as carbonisation.

Coal, characterized typically as a hard black rock, primarily serves various industrial and domestic functions, including cooking, electricity generation through thermal power plants, and as fuel in industries.

Additionally, coal undergoes processing to produce useful products:
- Coke: A nearly pure form of carbon essential in metal extraction.
- Coal Tar: A thick liquid containing over 200 substances that serve as starting materials for synthetic dyes, drugs, and other chemicals.
- Coal Gas: Used primarily as a fuel, obtained during the processing of coal.

This process of coal formation illustrates the importance of understanding natural resource conservation and the necessity of using fossil fuels judiciously.

Key Concepts

  • Formation of Coal: A lengthy process where the remains of ancient vegetation are transformed into coal through carbonisation due to heat and pressure.

  • Uses of Coal: As a fuel for cooking, electricity production, and raw material for chemicals and metals.

  • Environmental Impact: Coal is an exhaustible resource with significant consequences on air quality and global warming.

Memory Aids

🎵 Rhymes Time

  • In the earth deep, wood did sleep, under pressure, secrets to keep, carbonised, now we reap, coal we'll use, the cycle's steep.

📖 Fascinating Stories

  • Once upon a time, in ancient forests, trees grew tall and lush. When they died, little did they know they would one day become coal, hidden deep beneath layers of soil and transformed by heat and time. Generations later, humans discovered this black treasure, providing energy for cooking and warmth.

🧠 Other Memory Gems

  • C-Covering, O-Over years, A-Ancients, L-Living, -COAL - for how we get coal.

🎯 Super Acronyms

C-O-A-L

  • Created Over Ancient Layers.

Examples

  • Example of coal as a fuel: Used in household kitchens to cook food.

  • Example of byproducts of coal: Coke used in steel manufacturing.

  • Example of environmental consideration: The connection between burning coal and increased carbon emissions.

Glossary of Terms

  • Term: Coal

    Definition:

    A hard black rock primarily made of carbon, used as a fuel and in industrial processes.

  • Term: Carbonisation

    Definition:

    The process through which dead organic matter is transformed into coal by heat and pressure over millions of years.

  • Term: Coke

    Definition:

    A porous black substance derived from coal, used mainly in metal manufacturing.

  • Term: Coal Tar

    Definition:

    A thick black liquid produced from coal containing over 200 substances, used in various chemical applications.

  • Term: Coal Gas

    Definition:

    A gaseous fuel obtained during the processing of coal, used for heating and lighting.

  • Term: Fossil Fuel

    Definition:

    Natural fuels formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals.

  • Term: Exhaustible Resource

    Definition:

    Natural resources that are limited in supply and can be depleted by human use.