Mikhailo Lomonosov, the famous Russian scientist of the 18th century, back in those ancient times gave a definition of how this mineral arose in nature. Namely: from the remains of plants, like peat, coal also originated. His education, according to Lomonosov, was due to several factors. Firstly, the remains of vegetation decomposed without the participation of "free air" (that is, without free access of oxygen). Secondly, there was a rather high temperature regime. And thirdly, the “burden of the roof”, that is, the increased pressure of the rock, played its role. This happened in ancient times, when humanity did not yet exist on planet Earth.
Cases of bygone days
In any case, the history of the formation of coal is the business of suchdistant days, that modern scientists can only make guesses and assumptions, explaining the process. But today it has been studied quite accurately. And the mechanisms of how coal appears (its formation from preliminary raw materials) are known to science.
From peat
Waste of higher plants gradually turn into peat masses, which accumulate in swampy areas and overgrow with other plants, gradually sinking into the depths. Being at a depth, peatlands constantly change their chemical composition (more complex compounds turn into simpler ones, break up). Some of them are dissolved in water and washed out, and some pass into a gaseous state. This is how methane and carbon dioxide are formed in the swamps, giving a characteristic smell of air in these deserted places. An important function in this process is performed by fungi and bacteria, which contribute to the further decomposition of the tissue of dead plants.
Carbons
Over time, in the process of ongoing modifications, the most stable hydrocarbon compounds accumulate in peatlands. And since all this saturation of peat masses with hydrocarbons is carried out practically without access to oxygen, carbon does not turn into gas and does not evaporate. There is isolation from air access and simultaneous saturation with increasing pressure: coal is formed from peat. Its formation lasts hundreds of millennia, this process is not so fast! According to scientists, most of the current reserves and coal seams originated inPaleozoic, that is, more than 300 million years ago.
It's interesting: what are the types of coal?
- The loosest and youngest of all species is lignite (which means "woody"). The remains of plant masses and wood are still visible in it. Basically, lignite is woody peat.
- Brown coal is formed in seams with stronger decomposition of plant residues. It lies, as a rule, at a depth of one kilometer. There is still a lot of liquid in it (more than 40%). It burns fairly well, but produces little heat.
- In many parts of the world, coal is found at depths of up to three kilometers. Its formation from a brown fossil occurs only under certain conditions: when the layers descend to deeper horizons and the process of mountain building takes place. There, under high pressure and without access to oxygen, the process of transition from one fraction to another is completed. Such coal contains more than 75% carbon, burns better and gives more heat.
- Anthracite - coal of more ancient breeds. It lies at a depth of up to five kilometers. It has even more carbon and even less moisture (almost none at all). It does not ignite well, but the heat transfer is the highest of all types. In anthracite, the remains of the plants from which it originated are practically undetectable. Such coal is considered the most promising in mining for industry.
But that's not all
Nature decreed that anthracite, in itself the most dense coal withthe highest carbon content (95 percent or more) is not the final stage of transformations that occur with plant residues in the environment. Shungite is a substance that is formed from coal under even more severe conditions. Graphite occurs at high temperatures from the same material. And if you add super-high pressure, then a diamond is formed, the most durable substance that has both industrial and artistic value for all mankind.
But it should be remembered: oddly enough, all these seemingly different substances - from plants to diamonds - are composed of carbon matter, only with a different structure at the molecular level!
Education and importance of hard coal
It is impossible to overestimate the importance of coal for the development of industry and in general for all human culture on Earth. And its scope is very wide. Not to mention the fact that coal is an excellent fuel used for heating homes, heating furnaces in industry, generating electricity, a lot of substances needed by people are also extracted from coal. Sulfur and vanadium, zinc and lead, germanium - all this gives humanity this mineral.
Coal is used for melting metal, steel, cast iron. Coal combustion products - in the production of some building materials. During the special processing of the fossil, benzene is obtained from it, which is used in the production of varnishes and solvents, such a building material as linoleum. From liquefied by special technologiescoal comes out liquid fuel for machinery. Coal is the raw material for the production of graphite and industrial diamonds, and in total, more than four hundred products for industry and the service sector are made on the basis of this natural material.
Science at school: coal formation
For children, when passing the relevant topic in the middle classes, it is recommended to talk in an accessible form about the formation of coal in nature. Please state how long this process takes. Describing the formation of coal briefly, you need to focus on its significance for the development of industry and progress in modern and historical conditions, draw up a plan for a message that students will do on their own.
