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
Everyone at least once, but heard such a word as coals or coal. So what is it? If you turn to Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary to answer this question, then you can find the following definitions there: 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 so on. By the way, to coal after it has burned out, this use is not correct, in this case its remains are called slag.
Also, answering the question: "What are coals?", it is worth mentioning wood coals - they tend to smolder hotly even after prolonged heat treatment. In ancient times, this useful property was used in the manufacture of iron from ore, as well as blacksmiths to maintain high temperatures in the furnaces. And charcoal was previously used as one of the constituent elements of black powder. But later, the classic “s altpeter, sulfur, charcoal” scheme was abandoned in favor of a new smokeless powder. So we figured it outwhat coals are, and let's take a closer look at 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 extract 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 tropical forests. Gradually, plant mass accumulated on their bottom, and in those places where the water was stagnant and poor in oxygen, future fossil coals gradually formed. Its first stage was peat, and gradually, under pressure, it was compressed and turned to stone.
Somewhat later, the widespread formation of this type of fuel ceased. It is believed that the reason for this is ordinary mushrooms, or rather, the mold that they caused. It was she who split 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 layers of coal gradually came out, and people learned to use the mineral - coal.
Industrial Revolution
In the Russian Empire, coal was little used, and its main production 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, from 1722year, expeditions were organized by royal decree to explore its deposits.
What is fossil coal? It is a black, dense but brittle mineral, with a high combustion temperature. It is divided into three types.
The first is anthracite. The carbon content in it is 95%. The most expensive and high-energy type of this fuel. Used mainly 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 lot of moisture, which makes it ignite and burn less well than anthracite.
The third and last is brown coal. It is the youngest, formed from the remains of peat, contains from 65 to 75% carbon.
In the first half of the 19th century, extensive mining and use of this mineral began in Russia. However, as in the rest of the world. The new type of fuel made it possible to significantly develop the industry, for example, the same iron smelting, which before that could not be produced on a large scale.
Extraction and use
It is extracted by two methods: underground and outdoor. The first one is the most common, since its external outlets to the surface of the earth are quite rare and are quickly depleted. Underground, you need to build mines, where coal layers are crushed in the depths of the earth in various ways, and then rise outside, where sorting and loading takes place.
This process is associated with various kinds of danger - blockages, floods, methane explosions. In addition, coal dust often containscarcinogens, 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 village houses.
Danger
Despite the low cost of mining and the high combustion temperature, burning coal causes significant environmental damage. This is due to the fact that during combustion it releases a large amount of carbon dioxide, which exacerbates the greenhouse effect.
So we figured out what coals are, what they are, what they are mined for and what are their areas of application. 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.
