Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams.
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13 Facts About Coal
2.
Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
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3.
Coal is formed when dead plant matter decays into peat and is converted into coal by the heat and pressure of deep burial over millions of years.
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4.
Coal is known from Precambrian strata, which predate land plants.
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5.
Coal cinders have been found in the hearths of villas and Roman forts, particularly in Northumberland, dated to around AD 400.
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6.
Coal played an important role in industry in the 19th and 20th century.
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7.
Coal continues to arrive on beaches around the world from both natural erosion of exposed coal seams and windswept spills from cargo ships.
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8.
Coal can be converted directly into synthetic fuels equivalent to gasoline or diesel by hydrogenation or carbonization.
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9.
Coal liquefaction emits more carbon dioxide than liquid fuel production from crude oil.
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10.
Coal can be used as a feedstock in the production of a wide range of chemical fertilizers and other chemical products.
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11.
Coal is used to produce very high temperatures through combustion.
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12.
Coal-powered plants emit nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate pollution and heavy metals, which adversely affect human health.
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13.
Coal is the official state mineral of Kentucky and the official state rock of Utah; both U S states have a historic link to coal mining.
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