Location: Ondo, Enugu, Bauchi, Benue, Zamfara, Plateau
Coal is fossil fuel or fuel that comes from the remains of prehistoric plants and animals.
The formation of coal occurs over millions of years via a process known as carbonation. In this process, dead vegetation is converted into carbon-rich coal under very high temperature and pressure.
Minerals and energy play a very important role in the modern world. Rapid evolution in industrialization and growth in human population has increased the usage of minerals and different forms of energy to a very high level. But one has to understand that the natural resources are not unlimited. Fossil fuels such as natural gas, petroleum, and coal are used to meet most of our energy needs.
Coal is composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, moisture, and incombustible mineral matter (i.e., ash). Fluorinated gases are not formed by coal combustion. Coals are formed from the accumulation of vegetable debris in specialized environments.
Obtaining coal from the mines is a difficult job. First, the dirt above the coal deposit is removed. When the coal is exposed, explosives are used to break it into smaller pieces. The coal thus collected is loaded into wagons and lifted to the surface. The mines enter and leave the mine by an elevator through a vertical space called the shaft. Coal mines can easily catch fire and it is very difficult to bring the fire under control.
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Coal takes millions of years to form. Millions of years ago, there were places on earth with dense forests in wetlands due to natural disasters such as floods, tsunami, landslides, etc. Over the years, over these forests more and more soil was compiling. These trees were protected by oxidation from biodegradation, usually via mud or acidic water. This traps the carbon in the sediments that were buried. Carbonization happens, carbonization is a phase in which vegetation becomes carbon. It is a slow process.
Uses of coal
Coal is a typical conventional solid fuel that has been exploited as an important source of fuel by humankind for thousands of years.
The main use of coal is as fuel for electric power plants for which more than 50% of the coal produced in the world is used.
The simplest use of coal is to burn it for heat. Coal was once used as a household heating and cooking fuel in Western nations.
Other uses of coal that may be increasingly important in the future are in the production of liquid fuel by direct or indirect liquefaction to replace fuels made from petroleum, production of methanol a possible substitute for gasoline and production of synthetic gases.
