The article talks about what coal is, what fossil coal is, how it is formed, and in what areas it is used in our time.
Definition
All at least once, but heard a word like coals or coal. So what is it? If you answer Ozhegov’s explanatory dictionary to answer this question, you can find the following definitions: coal is a fossil solid combustible substance that was formed from ancient plants. Coals are also called, for example, the remains of burnt wood - the coals of a fire, fire, stove, and more. By the way, to coal after it burned out, this use is not correct, in this case its remains are called slag.
Also, answering the question: “What is coals?”, It is worth mentioning wood - they tend to smolder hotly even after prolonged heat treatment. In ancient times, this is their useful property used in the manufacture of iron from ore, as well as blacksmiths to maintain high temperatures in the furnaces. And charcoal used to be used as one of the constituent elements of black powder. But later, the classic scheme of “saltpeter, sulfur, charcoal” was abandoned in favor of a new smokeless powder. So we figured out what coal is, and dwell in more detail on coal - a mineral that once helped people make the industrial revolution.
Education
It is worth mentioning the fact that coal was the first mineral that people learned to mine and use.
The formation of its main deposits began, according to scientists, about 400 million years ago. Then most of the Earth was covered with swamps and rainforests. Gradually, plant mass accumulated at their bottom, and in those places where the water was stagnant and poor in oxygen, future fossil coals gradually formed. Peat was its first stage, and gradually, under pressure, it was compressed and turned to stone.
A little later, the widespread formation of this type of fuel stopped. It is believed that ordinary mushrooms, or rather, the mold they caused, are to blame. It was she who broke down the substances that helped the formation of coal. Due to the constant movement of the earth's crust and changes in the continents, some deep seams of coal gradually came out, and people learned to use minerals - coal.
Industrial Revolution
In the Russian Empire , coal was used little, and its main mining began in the first half of the 19th century, after the discovery of rich deposits. However, Peter the Great himself understood the prospect of this type of fuel.
So, when he was in the Azov campaign, he was shown a black mineral that burned well. Later, starting in 1722, expeditions were organized by royal decree with the goal of exploring its deposits.
What is coal fossil? It is a black, dense, but brittle mineral with a high combustion temperature. It is divided into three types.
The first is anthracite. Its carbon content is 95%. The most expensive and high-energy type of this fuel. It is mainly used for industrial needs.
The second is coal. It was formed from sedimentary rocks, the percentage of carbon in it is 75-95. It also contains a large amount of moisture, which is why it ignites and burns not as well as anthracite.
The third and last is brown coal. It is the youngest, formed from peat residues, contains from 65 to 75% carbon.
In the first half of the XIX century, Russia began widespread mining and use of this mineral. However, as in the whole world. A new type of fuel made it possible to significantly develop industry, for example, the same smelting of cast iron, which before that could not be carried out on a large scale.
Production and use
It is obtained by two methods: underground and outdoor. The first is most common, since its external exits to the surface of the earth are quite rare and quickly depleted. In the underground you need to build mines, where deep in the earth coal seams are crushed in different ways, and then rise outside, where sorting and loading takes place.
This process is associated with various kinds of danger - blockages, flooding, methane explosions. In addition, coal dust often contains carcinogens, and miners have to wear respirators that make breathing difficult and, as a result, gas exchange in the blood.
Coal is used in a number of industries, from power plants to conventional heating of rural houses.
Danger
Despite the low cost of mining and a high combustion temperature, burning coal causes significant environmental damage. This is due to the fact that during the combustion process it releases a large amount of carbon dioxide, which exacerbates the greenhouse effect.
So we figured out what coals are, what they are, why they are mined, and what are the areas of their application. And to this day, this fuel does not go out of use, but its reserves are depleted, which makes us think about the search for alternative energy sources.