The formation of coal and its extraction in our time

The article tells about the formation of coal, in what spheres it is used, what is made of it, and also in what way it is extracted the mineral.

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Mankind has taken fire in times immemorial and quickly realized its usefulness. The bonfire not only protected from wild animals and cold, it could cook food that old people and children could chew, which seriously increased the survival of the entire human population. Throughout history, fire has been a constant companion of man. At the beginning of the 18th century, with the development of the first industry, a need arose for a new type of fuel, and this was coal. How is coal produced, where is it used and what is its special feature? In this we will understand.

The legacy of prehistoric times

According to the encyclopedic definition, coal is the remains of ancient plants and their parts, they have become in the depths of the Earth under pressure and without access to oxygen this useful type of fuel, which now enjoys the whole world.

The main period of the formation of coal by some estimates of scientists began about 400 million years ago. Then a large part of the Earth was covered by swamps and dense moist forests. In the marshes, where decay and death of plants occurred faster, the latter were collected in layers that were converted into peat in oxygen-depleted water. After a while, under the pressure of other layers of plant organics, peat gradually loses liquid and gases, eventually turns into coal.

The wide formation of coal on the assumptions of scientists soon ceased because of the fungi that caused the so-called white rot. This process prevented the transformation of peat into its next stone state.

If a higher depth pressure is required to receive it, then why are there external exits of this fossil? The thing is that during these 400 million years the earth's crust has undergone many changes, and because of its movements some deposits moved to the surface or, on the contrary, were even deeper. And by the way, almost in any school or local history museum you can find flat pieces of coal, on which the prints of prehistoric plants, most often ferns, are clearly visible.

Minerals: coal and its role in the Russian industry

Up to the middle of the XVIIIth century in the Russian Empire this type of fuel was not used anywhere. However, Peter the Great in 1696, returning from the Azov campaign, estimated the prospect of a combustible mineral and predicted its usefulness and wide application by descendants.

And since 1722 all the same Peter the First has given the order to industrialists and geologists to begin wide searches of this fossil. And it brought fruits: the deposits were discovered in a number of places.

But their wide application was found only in the first quarter of XIX minerals. Coal at that time gave a powerful impetus to the industry. After all, it is cheap, efficient and relatively simple in production fuel, which is a disorder superior to wood or other species.

What is the value?

Coal is a combustible material that, thanks to its large reserves, has made an industrial revolution. At the beginning of the XIX century with the help of it steel was made on a large scale to make cast iron, to heat houses, it became a source of power for steamers and all steam appliances. In contrast to oil or gas, its extraction is simpler and involves less risk. After lifting from the depths of the earth and sorting, it is immediately ready for burning without any additional processing. But first things first. We have figured out how coal is formed, but where else is it used, besides the stoves, and what is made of it?

Application

Coal is also made of artificial graphite, which is used in pencils, chemistry or as parts for electric motors. During the Second World War, German technologists produced gasoline from it. Or rather, first oil, and only then refined fuel. In the same way, coal can be gasified. True, this process is expensive and is not widely used. Also, vanadium, gallium, zinc, lead, molybdenum are extracted as a co-material during extraction.

So, we figured out how coal is formed and what is its value.

Danger

In addition to the positive properties, the extraction and use of this substance entails a number of serious dangers. This is a severe pollution of the environment. When burning a kilogram of coal, 2.93 kilograms of carbon dioxide is produced, which gradually and slowly, but still intensifies the greenhouse effect on the Earth.

The second danger is the impact on the health of miners. In the face of a high content of coal dust, protecting against it, people have to use respirators, which make breathing difficult, and as a consequence, gas exchange. In addition, the fuel contains a number of dangerous elements for living things, such as mercury and lead.

So now we know about such a process as the formation of coal. Minerals, according to scientists, will end sooner or later, and this is a good reason to think about switching to alternative sources of nutrition.