The better types of coal have taken several hundred million years to form.
Formation of Coal:
Coal is formed by the decomposition of natural vegetation, especially equatorial swamp forest.
Types of Coal and their characteristics
Anthracite
Best quality coal
Hardest
Highest hydrocarbon content
Burns quietly with great heat
Blackest coal of all
Formed in very thin layers deep underground
Bituminous
Darker in color
Formed deep underground
Bituminous as Steam Coal
A superior black hard coal found in highly compressed seams
Burns readily with great heat
Hydrocarbon content is less than anthracite
Bituminous as Coking Coal
It is burnt to produce coke – a hard grey porous material
It is used in blast furnaces for the extraction of iron from iron ore
Lignite
It is a lower quality coal with a high moisture and ash content
It has a low heating value
Present near the surface and it is easier to mine
Peat
Exclusively vegetative matter
Represents initial stage of coal formation
Its carbon content is low
Transportation of coal from the coal mine to the end user
Extraction of coal from the coalface and crushed
Loaded onto trolleys which run on a track
Track leads from the coalmine to the outside surface
Small coalmines use donkeys as an underground transport
Once the coal comes out of the mine, the qualities of coal are separated
Sold to the middleman who further loads it into trucks and supplies it to the brick kilns and cement factories etc where it is used as a fuel
When the coal is supplied to thermal power stations, rail transport is also used if it is economically feasible
Coal Extraction with respect to Provinces
Province Baluchistan
Location of Coal: Quetta Coalfields
Type of Coal: Coking coal locally – Sharig Coal
Uses: Coking coal is converted into metallurgical coal by mixing with high grade imported coal,Supplied to Pakistan Steel Mills, Sub-bituminous coal is used in brick kilns and for briquetting
Province Sindh
Location of Coal: Lower Sindh Coalfields
Type of Coal: Lignite, low quality
Uses: For heating boilers in the thermal power stations
Province Punjab
Location of Coal: Salt Range coalfields
Type of Coal: Sub-bituminous to lignite,Highly volatile, Deteriorates when stored, Poor quality,
Uses: Used in brick kilns.
Province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Location of Coal: Makerwal coalfields in trans Salt Range, Some sporadic mining is reported from Charat
Type of Coal: Sub-bituminous, Seams are slightly thicker,Coal is slightly better quality than in the Salt Range coalfield
Uses: Used in the ceramic industry.
Reasons for Coal as a preferred source of power in near future:
New coal reserves
Discovery of new coal reserves in recent years
It is estimated that Pakistan has 7508 million tones of proven coal reserves in eight major fields in Lower Sindh and the Salt Range.
Coal reserves in greater quantity
According to one study, the coal reserves in the country are many times greater than the total reserves of natural gas and oil.
Saving of foreign exchange
To save tremendous amount of foreign exchange which is involved in the import of oil
Cheaper
Cheaper than natural gas so it is used as an alternate source of fuel specially in cement industry
Using latest technology
The focus of the government's policy is on aggressive coal-mining and modern usage of coal, using the latest technologies, including those developed over the years by the Americans, Europeans and Chinese.
Power generation
Focus of the coal policy is on power generation through coal and gasification of coal so that it could be used as a cheap fuel.
As a fuel for industries
Through gasification the fuel companies convert coal into easily transportable coal gas or liquid fuels
The coal is heated in the presence of steam and oxygen to produce coal gas which is a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane.
It is directly used as a fuel or refined into cleaner-burning gas to make it environment friendly.
Coal based vapor fuels are produced through this process
Government’s will
Government needs to improve and modernize coal mining operations to increase the use of coal in industries
Process of using coal in Iron and Steel Industry:
Heating coal
Converting it into coke - a hard substance consisting of nearly pure carbon
Combining coke with iron ore and limestone
The mixture is heated to extract the iron from the iron ore
Other industries use the different coal gases emitted during the coke-forming in order to make fertilizers, solvents, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other products.
Power generation using Coal
Arguments against (Environmental Loss)
Not advisable to build coal fired power plants close to River Indus
Coal fired power plants are largest source of fly ash and mercury pollution falls into nearby rivers where it builds up in fish
Upon consumption of mercury polluted fish people suffer from brain damage and nervous system disorders, particularly in young children
Fly ash could cause lowered crop yield, respiratory disorders, contamination of groundwater with toxic salts and metallic contents
Arguments in favor (Economic Gains)
To overcome energy crisis Pakistan has to rely on coal
Huge reserves of Thar Coal field could be utilized
Coal could be exported to India
Cheap electricity could be produced
Foreign exchange could be saved by not importing expensive oil
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