Description
Coal is referred to as a dark brown to black, organic and combustible rock made of mainly carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which is extracted from under the ground through mining. This graphite like sedimentary material is used as fuel and is primary source of energy on earth. Coal is formed under the earth’s crust from the plants and animal remains that got fossilized with the time. That is why in other words it is also defined as the altered remains of prehistoric vegetation that has been consolidated and transformed with consistent effect of heat and pressure over million of years. Coal also played an important role in industrial revolution and most of the world’s electricity is produced using coal only.
Overview
Coal is a fossil fuel that is used for combustion and producing heat and light. Currently, it is the prime source of electricity produced through out the world. Though coal’s lead is being shaken by the emergence of oil in the scenario but around 40% of the electricity is still being produced using coal. The solid fuel can be converted into gaseous or liquid form of fuel such as coal gas, gasoline or diesel. Also coke is derived from coal that is used producing coal tar, ammonia, light oils etc. the fuel is credited with the initialization of the great Industrial revolution in the 18th century.
It is estimated that there are 909 billion tons of proven coal reserves in around 70 countries of the world. The largest coal reserves are in United States of America followed by Russia and China. But China leaves the above two countries behind in the context of production. The world production of coal hovers around 400 million tons and due to the current rising trend in the production it is estimated to reach 7 billion tons by 2030. Asia has a share of around 56% in the total consumption of coal in the world, china being the topmost consumer of coal in the world. Most of the coal is utilized in the place of its production only. The developing countries are the major source of demand for coal, as they need higher quantities to keep the development process continued. The top ten coal consuming countries of the world along with their consumption figures are

  • China (1728 million tons)
  • USA (1004.9 million tons)
  • India (430.4 million tons)
  • Germany (252.5 million tons)
  • Russia (240.5 million tons)
  • Japan (183.4 million tons)
  • South Africa (173.7 million tons)
  • Poland (144.1 million tons)
  • Australia (132.7 million tons)
  • South Korea (80.3 million tons)