COAL

CONTENT

1. Definition of Coal
2. Types of Coal
3. Destructive Distillation of Coal
4. Uses of Products of Destructive Distillation of Coal

Definition of Coal

Coal is one the two most principal sources of fuel and energy, the other being petroleum. Coal was found as a result of complex chemical and physical changes when the remains of forest were buried under the earth millions of years ago under great pressure in the absence of air.

Coal is found in great abundance in very many parts of the world including Nigeria. Coal is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons (compounds of carbon and hydrogen) and other organic and inorganic compounds containing small amounts of nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus as impurities.

Types of Coal

Coal is derived from wood; it naturally contains a lot of carbon.  There are four main types of coal, arising from the progressive variation in their carbon content. They are:

1. Peat-like coal: contains about 60 of carbon.
2. Lignite coal: contains about 70 of carbon.
3. Bituminous coal: contains about 85  of carbon: This is the type that is mostly used for our everyday domestic application.