USES OF COAL

HISTORY

Since 1890, coal mining has also been a political and social issue. Coal labour and trade unions became powerful in many countries in the 20th century, and often the miners were leaders of the Left or Socialist movements.

Since 1970, environmental issues have been increasingly important, including the health of miners, destruction of the landscape from strip mines and mountaintop removal, air pollution, and coal combustion's contribution to global warming.

USES OF COAL

- Coal has many important uses worldwide. The most significant uses of coal are in electricity generation, steel production, cement manufacturing and as a liquid fuel.

- Different types of coal have different uses.

o Steam coal - also known as thermal coal - is mainly used in power generation.

o Coking coal - also known as metallurgical coal - is mainly used in steel production.

- Other important users of coal include alumina refineries, paper manufacturers, and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

- Several chemical products can be produced from the by-products of coal. Refined coal tar is used in the manufacture of chemicals, such as creosote oil, naphthalene, phenol, and benzene. Ammonia gas recovered from coke ovens is used to manufacture ammonia salts, nitric acid and agricultural fertilisers. Thousands of different products have coal or coal by-products as components: soap, aspirins, solvents, dyes, plastics and fibres, such as rayon and nylon.

IMPORTANT USERS OF COAL

- The five largest coal users - China, USA, India, Russia and Japan.

IN PERU

In Peru was detected tons of coal reserves.

BUT the key to exploit the coal problem is the high cost of transport.

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