COAL
It’s more important
than you really
think….
How Does It Affect Us?
• Coal affects us in everyday life drastically….
• Electricity to homes, all appliances, and anything that uses
electricity.
• Cell phones (Charging)
• Computer
• TV
• Telephone
• Building’s supports and frames
• Car Frames
• Video Game Systems
• Coffee Machine
• Alarm Clock
• Air Conditioning
• Refrigerator/Refrigeration
Products made from Coal
Coal Tar Products Coke Products Miscellaneous Products
insecticides fuel carbolic acid
fungicides gas fire proofing
moth balls carbon dioxide food preservatives
paint thinner soda water billiard balls
batteries acetylene medicines
wood preservative synthetic rubber perfumes
disinfectant charcoal briquettes ammonia
varnish artificial silk baking powder
insulation rubber cement fertilizer
paint pigments
sulfur
TNT explosive
linoleum
sugar substitute
The Uses Of Coal
• In the United States, Coal is primarily used for electricity. 56% of the
electricity in the US is generated by Coal.
• Not being limited to only electricity, Coal is also used to produce and
make chemicals, cement, paper, ceramics, and metal products.
• Coal byproducts, like “coke,” are also used in production. This
byproduct helps make steel for buildings, bridges, and automobiles.
• Also, about 9% of US mined coal is shipped out to forty different
countries, including Western Europe, Canada, and Japan to name a
few.
• Proven coal deposits exist on every continent, including Antarctica.
The United States has the world's largest supply of recoverable
reserves, or about 24 percent. Coal is found in thirty-eight states,
and nearly one-eighth of the country lies over coal beds. Top coal-
mining states include Montana, Illinois, Wyoming, West Virginia,
Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, Texas, and Indiana.
Types of Coal
• There are 4 different types of coal
• Lignite
• Sub-bituminous
• Bituminous
• Anthracite
• These types of coal usually contain either high concentrates of
carbon, or they have a high moisture content.
• All of the ores are extracted by either surface mining or underground
mining.
• The actual type of mining used for each type of coal basically
depends on where they naturally occurred 50-70 million years ago.
Some are close to the surface and some tend to be utilized for
underground mining.
Lignite (The Soft Coal)
• This is the softest type of coal found.
• It has a lot more moisture than the others and breaks apart very easily.
• It has the lowest carbon content and heating value.
• Also called “Brown Coal”, because of its brownish color, this is the type of
coal that is mainly used at electricity plants.
• Lignite is the result of millions of tons of plants and trees that decayed in
swampy atmosphere 50-70 million years ago.
• Lignite’s carbon content is about 25-35%
• Lignite is mainly found in Montana and North Dakota
• It’s heat value is approx. 4000-8000 BTUs per pound.
• Due to its softness, this type of coal needs normally little explosives to dig
up. Mining is relatively easy and can be collected with pretty much no
hassle.
• 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 (Medium Soft)
• This is a dull black type of coal that has less moisture than Lignite.
• Sub-bituminous has a carbon content of about 35-45%
• It also has a heat value of 8000-13000 BTUs per pound.
• This ore is found primarily along the east side of the Rocky
Mountains.
• Sub-bituminous is slightly harder than Lignite and takes a little more
work to break it up.
• This ore has more of a chalky look to it with bits and specks of shiny
coal pieces in it.
• This ore can need explosives at some points, but not as difficult to
mine as Bituminous or Anthracite.
Bituminous (Medium Hard)
• This type of coal contains very little moisture and has a very high heat
value.
• This type is used to generate electricity and make “coke”, a coal residue
used in the production of steel.
• This is the most plentiful coal type in the United States.
• Bituminous has a carbon content of 45-85%
• It has a heat value of 10500-15000 BTUs per pound
• This ore is found from the east coast to the mid-west states and also in
Alaska.
• This ore is not easily broken and it is a little more smooth to the touch than
the other ores before.
• This type of Ore definitely needs explosives to break it up because of its
hard texture.
Anthracite (Hard Coal)
• This type of coal has the highest carbon content and the
lowest moisture and ash content.
• Anthracite burns very slowly which makes it very good
heating fuel for homes.
• Anthracite has a carbon content of 85-95%
• Normally this ore doesn’t exceed 15000 BTUs for it’s
heat value
• This is very difficult to break apart and it is very smooth
to the touch and has a very high shine.
• Explosives are used on this ore to break it up for further
collection. The hardest coal ore to mine.
Coal Reserves In the US
10 Largest Coal Reserve states plus rest of US (In Billions)
Underground Surface Total % of Total
Rank State
Reserve Reserve Reserve U.S.
1. Montana 71.0 49.2 120.1 25.4
2. Illinois 63.1 15.5 78.5 16.5
3. Wyoming 42.6 26.1 68.7 14.4
West
4. 33.0 5.0 37.9 8.0
Virginia
5. Kentucky 24.5 5.7 30.2 6.3
6. Pennsylvania 28.1 1.4 29.5 6.1
7. Ohio 12.9 5.8 18.6 4.0
8. Colorado 12.2 4.9 17.1 3.6
9. Texas 0.0 13.5 13.5 2.7
10. Indiana 8.9 1.4 10.3 2.1
All Other
24.6 25.1 50.1 10.9
States
Total U.S. 320.9 153.6 474.5 100.0
Top 10 Coal Producing States
Rank State Production
1. Wyoming 200,501,000
2. Kentucky 155,808,000
3. West Virginia 135,439,000
4. Pennsylvania 62,185,000
5. Texas 53,768,000
6. Illinois 42,246,000
7. Virginia 41,847,000
8. Montana 36,382,000
9. North Dakota 32,851,000
10. Indiana 30,705,000
All Other States <155,000,000
Total U.S. 946,732,000
Coal Consumption and Usage Figures
Facts About Coal
• The United States produces about 35%, or 1 billion tons, of the world's coal
supply—more than any other country produces.
• Coal ash is used as filler for tennis rackets, golf balls, and linoleum.
• More than 2 million acres of mined land have been reclaimed over the past 20
years—that's an area larger than the state of Delaware.
• The United States has more than a 250-year supply of coal, if it continues using
coal at the same rate at which it uses coal today.
• Montana is the state with the most coal reserves (120 billion tons). But Wyoming is
the top coal-producing state—it produced about 368 million tons in 2001.
• Texas is the top coal-consuming state. It uses about 100 million tons each year.
• The average coal miner is 45 years old and has 20 years of experience.
• Coal generates more than half of the electricity used in the United States.
• U.S. coal deposits contain more energy than that of all the world's oil reserves.
• Each person in the United States uses 3.8 tons of coal each year.
• Western half of the country accounts for about 55 percent of the US total,
overwhelmingly from surface mines.
• Appalachia (led by West Virginia and Kentucky) accounts for about 35 percent of
total U.S. coal production, mainly from underground mines.
• About three-fifths of U.S. coal production is bituminous, one-third sub-bituminous,
and about one-tenth lignite (brown coal).
• 63 percent of the coal that is mined today is from surface mining.
Coal Powered Power Plants
THE END