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Home>> The Industry>> Coal>> Types |
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Types | |||
Page 1 | 2 Coal is a complex combination of materials, and the combination can greatly differ from one formation or deposit to another. These differences result from:
The varying amount of minerals in a coal deposit may also have a significant effect on its properties and classification. In addition to carbon, coals contain hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and varying amounts of sulphur. High-rank coals are high in carbon and heat value, but low in hydrogen and oxygen. Low-rank coals are low in carbon but high in hydrogen and oxygen content. Anthracite is the highest carbon content, followed by bituminous, sub-bituminous and lignite coal, which has the lowest carbon content Anthracite
Why isn’t anthracite used to make steel? Its high carbon rating would seem to make it ideal. There’s a flaw in the picture: it’s too dense. The solution: heat bituminous coal to more than 1000° Celsius while starving its access to oxygen. The process, known as “coking,” burns off the volatile organic compounds and leaves “coke,” a porous, nearly pure form of carbon—a product ideal for the making of steel. Anthracite is no longer mined in Canada. Natural gas and electricity have replaced it for in-home use. Bituminous Coal
Almost all of Canada’s coal exports are bituminous—a product that’s mined in the Rocky Mountains of Elk Valley, BC.
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