Interesting facts about coal. You won't believe what activated charcoal can do for you. This information will surprise you! The secret to soft skin

Young and green. The allegorical expression does not suit brown coal. Geologists classify it as a young rock. Brown coal on Earth is approximately 50,000,000 years old. Accordingly, the breed was formed in the Tertiary period.

It includes the Paleogene and Neogene eras. In other words, brown coal was formed when the first people were already walking on the planet. However, despite its youth, the breed is not at all green. Its color is clear from the name. We will look into what causes the brown paint below.

Properties of brown coal

The color of brown coal is due to its base. This is plant matter, mainly wood. It is clearly visible in the lingites. A number of geologists consider them a separate rock, while others classify them as a variety brown coal In Russia adhere to the latter point of view.

Be that as it may, it is decomposed vegetation. In , when it was lush and the trunks were gigantic, it settled at the bottom of the swamps. There, in conditions of oxygen deficiency, organic matter began to decompose. So in lingites the process is at the initial stage, you can still see pieces of wood. It is perishable, but the structure of the fibers can be traced.

Classic brown coal is a homogeneous mass. It is already difficult to distinguish wood fibers in it. However, the organic matter has not yet decomposed to the state of pure organic matter. Therefore, the brown color of the mass is preserved.

The presence of large particles in it causes the friability of the fossil. There is only 1 gram of mass per cubic centimeter of rock. It contains no more than 60 percent carbohydrates, and often only half.

Both density and saturation of the rock with hydrocarbons are responsible for energy intensity. Brown coal - fuel lower category. It is used, as a rule, in subsidiary farming. Industrialists need energy-intensive fuel that burns almost 100%. After burning the hero of the article, a lot of ash remains.

Use of brown coal– this is the settling of soot on the chimney, flame, acrid smoke. Ignition is facilitated by volatile substances, of which there are about 10% in brown coal. Another 30% comes from water, oxygen,... All this is unnecessary for fuel.

Characteristics of brown coal on the cut - “like a clod of earth.” However, what makes a rock like this is the presence of water. Once it evaporates, the fossil crumbles into dust. In other words, there are not enough viscous hydrocarbons to cement the rock particles.

Industrialists compress them. Without water use of brown coal little more effective. In its usual form, the combustion of 1 kilogram of rock produces no more than 10,000 kilocalories. The average is 5,500 kilocalories.

How is brown coal different from hard coal?

If the maximum age of brown coal is 50,000,000 years, then stone coal is 350,000,000 years old. In other words, the most ancient rock samples were formed back in the Devonian period. The vegetation then consisted mainly of giant horsetails, and they were also hidden in the seas.

There were 9 geological eras left until the 21st century. For them, the plant remains decomposed and were compressed so much that they turned into real stone. There is no trace of the friability of brown coal. The stone version of the rock is real.

Brown coal in the photo

The wood color in charcoal has been replaced with a deep black. This is a 1st grade hydrocarbon paint. There are almost 100% of them in the breed. True, this applies to the last stage of development of coal. In ordinary hydrocarbons from 72 to 90 percent.

The mass of impurities can be determined at a glance. Anthracite, for example, shines on a fault. This radiance is called coal. Impurities dull the rock. Brown coal reserves, accordingly, are always matte. In contrast to their 10,000 kilocalories per kilogram of burned fuel, there are 61,000. This is the indicator of stone coal

Brown mining Coal mining is carried out from depths of up to a kilometer. Since Devonian times a large mass of earth has been layered. Accordingly, the stone version of the rock is extracted from depths of about 3 kilometers.

Due to the small amount of impurities, coal burns almost without residue, produces a minimum of soot, and does not burn in the usual sense. There are no pronounced flames. However, it takes more resources to heat up a dense stone than to set fire to a loose brown mass.

This is another reason why the breed is used only by industrialists. They have the ability to maintain the desired temperature. Burning brown coal is similar to working with wet firewood.

Brown coal deposits and mining

Brown coal deposits at a kilometer depth they are among the oldest in the world, those that are 50,000,000 years old. The main deposits are even younger, therefore, located higher.

In, for example, most brown coal seams are located 10-60 meters from the surface. This encourages open-pit mining. This method extracts 2/3 of domestic coal reserves.

By the way, they are distributed unevenly. 60% are in Siberia. The Soltomskoye field, for example, is being developed in Altai. Rock reserves amount to 250,000,000 tons. There is brown coal in the Kansk-Achinsk basin.

Brown coal mining

Rock deposits are called pools because of their “spill” underground. Coal is not veins among other rocks and not compact aggregates, but vast “pancakes”. They extend for tens and hundreds of kilometers. Thus, in the Kansk-Achinsk basin, only surface reserves are concentrated on an area of ​​45,000 square kilometers.

In Siberia there is also lignite pool"Lensky" It is being developed on the territory of Yakutia. The deposit also affects the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The total area of ​​deposits is 750,000 square kilometers. They include more than 2,000,000,000,000 tons. Those who are confused by zeros are talking about trillions.

Buy brown coal from the Lenskoye field, despite its vastness, is more expensive than from the Kansko-Achinskoye or Soltomskoye field. The reason is the complexity of the rock occurrence in Yakutia.

The “pancake” of the fossil is torn and crushed in places, sometimes sinks underground, sometimes rises to the surface. Most of the last sections have already been developed. Mining from the depths is more expensive, which affects the final rock.

In the west of the country brown coal is mined in the Podmoskovny swimming pool. It also contains a stone variety. Actually, the deposit began to form in the Carboniferous period. It belongs to the Paleozoic era. Judging by its antiquity, there should not be any brown rock in the pool. However, something slowed down the decomposition of part of the layers.

The Pechersk coal basin is also located in western Russia. Its northern location makes mining difficult. In addition, it is located at a depth of hundreds of meters. We have to dig mines. Therefore, energy types of coal are extracted from the depths. Brown deposits are avoided.

Promising coal deposits in the north also include Taimyrskoye. From the name it is clear that the lakes are located on the sea border of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Brown coal deposit

Currently, geological exploration is underway in this area. Mining is being delayed. We'll have to resort to the mines again. So far, open reserves of the rock have not been depleted.

Of the total number of coal deposits in the world, about 50 are actively being developed. Many deposits remain in reserve and in. By the way, it is among the leaders in coal production, but not in first place. The USA occupied it. Coal-producing states there include Texas, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Colorado and Illinois.

It ranks 2nd in the world in coal mining, which includes brown rock. Usually, they cite the top ten, with Mongolia at the bottom. But let us also indicate . It went to the PRC. The Shanxing pool is being developed there. It occupies almost the entire Great Chinese Plain, extending into the Yangtze and Datong.

Application of brown coal

The use of brown coal depends on its type. Geologists distinguish 5. The first is “Dense”. It is the most valuable, bordering on stone. It is a dark, homogeneous, compacted rock.

It contains the maximum amount of hydrocarbons for brown coal. Like the stone version, the “Dense” fossil is shiny, but not pronounced. Not only private owners, but also small boiler houses are ready to use such fuel.

The second type of brown coal is “Earthy”. This breed is easily ground into powder. The raw material is suitable for semi-coking. This is the name for processing in a vacuum at a temperature of about 500 degrees Celsius. The result is charcoal. It burns well, does not produce smoke, and therefore is used both in everyday life and in industry.

Third type of brown coal- “Resinous.” It is dense and dark. Instead of an anthracite sheen, there is a resinous sheen. Such rock is distilled to liquid hydrocarbon fuel and, like peat coal.

The latter is slightly different from the usual one. Coal is, in fact, a relative with it. Both substances are products of the decomposition of plant organic matter. It is believed that peat is the first stage, and coals, starting with brown, are the subsequent ones.

It remains to mention the 5th type of brown coal – “Paper”. It is also called “Dizodil”. The rock is decayed plant matter. The layers are still clearly visible in it.

The photo shows brown coal burning

“Dizodil” can be made out by them, as if. Such coal, as a rule, is not used. The remaining types are fuel in one form or another. High-quality gasoline, for example, from the hero of the article is obtained by hydrogenation.

Begins brown coal processing from mixing rock with heavy oils. In the presence of a catalyst, the mixture is combined with. This requires heating up to 450 degrees Celsius. The output is not only liquid fuel, but also. It is a synthetic analogue of the natural one.

Finally, let us note the relationship between coal and humus. Who knows what will happen to the compost heap, leave it closed for millions of years... In general, there is a lot of .

They are beneficial to plants, causing rapid growth and fruiting. Therefore, some types of the hero of the article are used in fertilizers. As a rule, coal is mixed with vermicompost.

The proportions are the same. A prerequisite is grinding of brown rock. The coal fraction should not exceed 5 millimeters. Particles of 0.001 millimeter are preferred.

Brown coal price

On an industrial scale brown coal price stays within 900 - 1,400 per ton. For comparison, for 1,000 kilograms of coal in bulk purchases they ask for at least 1,800 rubles.

Usually, the price tag is about 2,500. A maximum of 4,000 rubles per ton is asked for anthracite. However, as with any website, there are exorbitant and very modest offers.

For example, brown coal can be sold in kilograms for 350 rubles. The offer is intended for gardeners. When preparing seedlings for the summer season, they do not see the difference with the price tags for fertilizers from stores; on the contrary, they see the benefits.

In part, the price tag for brown coal, like others, depends on the fraction. Large “cobblestones” are cheaper. Coal dust is inconvenient to handle, and therefore is also available. The most valued breed is the middle fraction.

As already mentioned, it also affects the name of the field. Industrialists know where to expect high-quality goods and where to get second-rate goods, and take into account the nuances of the rock composition in different deposits.

Transportation of brown coal

It was also mentioned that the method of coal mining is involved in pricing. Maintaining mines is expensive. By the way, the first coal mine was established in Holland. The date is surprising - 113th year.

So, the coal industry flourished in the Middle Ages. Moreover, the hero of the article and his “brothers” are recognized as the first type of fossil fuel that people began to use.

According to scientists, there are another 500 years ahead. There will not be enough proven coal reserves for a longer period. So, it is not surprising that there are active attempts to find alternative fuel sources to hydrocarbons.

Plants do not have time to rot at the speed at which humanity uses the hero of the article. In addition, in recent geological eras, the planet’s climate has changed, and coal formation has slowed down sharply.

Man has been using coal as fuel since ancient times. Since its invention, it has been used for a variety of purposes. This included both food preparation and industrial production. Coal made it possible to make steel. There are many interesting facts associated with coal, and its role in our lives is colossal.

The formation of coal in the bowels of the earth is a very long process. This has a lot in common with oil. Coal is formed from dead plants that, for one reason or another, ended up underground. Here, without oxygen, they did not rot, and their remains did not lose the carbon they contained - the basis of coal. Then, over the course of millions of years, under the influence of a variety of factors, these remains turned into peat, and from it into coal. And the further process leads to the formation of graphite.

Before delving into interesting facts about mining technology and interesting situations related to coal, let's talk about the coals needed for cooking:

In general, the main difference between Japanese cuisine and European cuisine is the dominance of seafood. They are used everywhere. And even for kebabs, which the Japanese call “tempora”. True, they do not very often use coal for their preparation. It is believed that it is able to absorb odors and then release them to the prepared dish. Open fires are generally preferred to coal. In addition, ginger is often used, which also eliminates odors.

In North Africa, French-speaking countries like to use dry bushes and other small plants. There is a desert here and there are no large trees. Coals are made, for example, from saxaul. They turn out hot and have a specific aroma.

In Russia, it is more common to use coal for barbecue in briquettes. Personally, I can recommend the company "Good Coal", which specializes in the production of coal for hookahs and barbecues of the highest quality.

Coal mines are quite dangerous places. They release various gases. Methane is especially dangerous. It displaces some of the oxygen and makes the air explosive. In the past, when methane indicators did not exist, canaries were used. They were taken into the mine with them, and if the birds became ill, this meant that methane had accumulated in the mine.

Among other dangers, fires in mines stand out. As in the case of burning peat, they can last quite a long time. A record-breaking fire occurred at the Liuhuangou oil field in China. It took 130 years to eliminate it, and it was finally extinguished only in 2004. About 260 million tons of coal were destroyed.

There are many funny situations associated with coal and its deposits. Treasures were often found in it. So in 1891, a certain Mrs. Culp was lucky when she found an ancient gold chain in a large piece of coal. Coal holds many ancient artifacts. Miners have repeatedly found the remains of ancient structures. As, for example, in the American town of Hammondville, where in 1869 the remains of a wall with hieroglyphs were found.

Coal continues to play a big role in the lives of people and even entire cities. It is interesting to trace the fate of the Japanese city of Hashima, located on the island of the same name, which was once rich in coal. Since the 1930s, this city has long been considered the most populous in the world. The island had a coastline of only 1 km, but its population was more than 5 thousand people. But by the mid-70s, coal ran out here. People began to leave this place. The city became completely abandoned. Now they even conduct extreme excursions there.

Man has been using coal as fuel since ancient times. Since its invention, it has been used for a variety of purposes. This included both food preparation and industrial production. Coal made it possible to make steel. There are many interesting facts associated with coal, and its role in our lives is colossal.

Before delving into interesting facts about mining technology and interesting situations related to coal, let's talk about the coals needed for cooking:

In general, the main difference between Japanese cuisine and European cuisine is the dominance of seafood. They are used everywhere. And even for kebabs, which the Japanese call “tempora”. True, they do not very often use coal for their preparation. It is believed that it is able to absorb odors and then release them to the prepared dish. Open fires are generally preferred to coal. In addition, ginger is often used, which also eliminates odors.

In North Africa, French-speaking countries like to use dry bushes and other small plants. There is a desert here and there are no large trees. Coals are made, for example, from saxaul. They turn out hot and have a specific aroma.

In Russia, it is more common to use coal for barbecue in briquettes. Personally, I can recommend the company "Good Coal", which specializes in the production of coal for hookahs and barbecues of the highest quality.

Coal mines are quite dangerous places. They release various gases. Methane is especially dangerous. It displaces some of the oxygen and makes the air explosive. In the past, when methane indicators did not exist, canaries were used. They were taken into the mine with them, and if the birds became ill, this meant that methane had accumulated in the mine.

Among other dangers, fires in mines stand out. As in the case of burning peat, they can last quite a long time. A record-breaking fire occurred at the Liuhuangou oil field in China. It took 130 years to eliminate it, and it was finally extinguished only in 2004. About 260 million tons of coal were destroyed.

There are many funny situations associated with coal and its deposits. Treasures were often found in it. So in 1891, a certain Mrs. Culp was lucky when she found an ancient gold chain in a large piece of coal. Coal holds many ancient artifacts. Miners have repeatedly found the remains of ancient structures. As, for example, in the American town of Hammondville, where in 1869 the remains of a wall with hieroglyphs were found.

Coal continues to play a big role in the lives of people and even entire cities. It is interesting to trace the fate of the Japanese city of Hashima, located on the island of the same name, which was once rich in coal. Since the 1930s, this city has long been considered the most populous in the world. The island had a coastline of only 1 km, but its population was more than 5 thousand people. But by the mid-70s, coal ran out here. People began to leave this place. The city became completely abandoned. Now they even conduct extreme excursions there.

The days of throwing an armful of coal on the fire to keep warm are behind us for most of us, but coal is still essential to the functioning of modern computers, air conditioners and even cars. What do you know about one of the world's most essential commodities?

№1. Before turning into coal, the layers of the ancient swamp floor change over about 9,000 years into another known carbon compound. This is peat.

Under the right conditions, high temperatures and pressures beneath the Earth's crust can turn organic material from centuries-old swamp sediments into coal. But before this happens, the material goes through the intermediate stage that the Irish made famous. Peat is charcoal when cooked, and as most people know, it burns. (For single malt connoisseurs, peat also gives Islay its signature aroma.)

There are also different grades of coal itself. They vary in the content of water, carbon and other ingredients, and so do they, and they also change over time. The hardest coal, called anthracite, takes millions of years to form. A long way from peat.

№2. Increasing the efficiency of a coal plant by just 1% reduces CO2 emissions by 2-3%. According to the World Coal Association, industrial facilities that convert coal into energy generate 41% of the world's electricity. In the United States, this share is about average, 43%. But the world's second-largest economy, China, is 81% dependent on coal for power generation; and about on par with many other countries, India is 70% coal dependent. Some countries get their electricity almost entirely from coal - for example, South Africa (94%) and Poland (86%).

It is therefore not surprising that much research has been devoted to reducing carbon emissions and other pollution caused by burning coal. Washing coal after mining to remove impurities can reduce ash emissions by more than 50% while also removing much of the sulfur that causes acid rain. Grinding the slabs into powder also increases the efficiency and speed of burning. In the tailpipe, filters capture soot and most ash, while absorbers capture mercury and most sulfur.

Victorian London with its toxic yellow smog is far behind us. However, there are strong incentives to hold on to coal. The income from improvements, as you can see, is significant.

Moreover, coal will play a critical role in energy generation for a long time to come. Most often, even a slight increase in its share in electricity production is predicted over the next few decades. With all the talk about natural gas and alternative energy, coal retains its role as an always-ready, basic energy carrier that is difficult to replace.

№3. Unlike many commodities, coal prices are determined directly through negotiations between producers and consumers.

When looking at market prices for the oil sector, you may see marks such as "West Texas Average" or "Brent". You can see the spot price or contract price of uranium.

But coal prices are not standardized in this way. They are determined only during negotiations between the manufacturer and the consumer.

To track the coal market, we are watching a few of them. For coking coal, the most important contract price is the result of negotiations between Australian producers and Japanese smelters. For thermal coal, used to generate electricity, the price spectrum is much wider - but most observers keep an eye on Indonesian export prices.

№4. Is China increasing coal imports the fastest? But no: India.

This is an example of a statistical incident. China and Japan together import more coal than India, and China's ranking among the leaders in coal consumption and overall growth places it at the forefront of rising global demand. But - India has the fastest growth in coal imports.

Let's take a look at the import picture over the past couple of years. From 2011 to 2012, India increased its production from 585 to 595 million tonnes (Mt) - but at the same time it had to increase imports from 105 to 160 Mt to meet domestic demand. India has been on this path for several years now and will not leave it in the coming years.

The reason is significant inefficiency. New coal projects face delays in regulatory approval - and when they do get approval, various problems arise, such as dealing with environmental issues. Then there is the problem of the unprofitability of moving coal to where it is needed across the country. According to some estimates, for half of the transported coal, the problem of insufficient railway capacity is relevant.

The result: energy companies are forced to import enough coal to stay afloat.

№5. The number of Indonesian billionaires has almost tripled since 2010, to 29.

Australia has long been the largest exporter of coal. However, Indonesia has overtaken it, first in thermal coal exports, and now in total exports. Indonesia exported 52% of the world's coal in 2012, the latest year for which export figures are available.

Indeed, Indonesia has huge thermal coal reserves, totaling 4.5 billion tons at the end of 2013. The country also has a huge advantage over Australia: location. The distance to the largest coal importers China, India, South Korea and Taiwan is almost half that. And if regulatory hurdles weren't so difficult to overcome, Indonesian companies could build basic infrastructure - conveyor belts, railways and ports - much easier and faster.

What do Indonesian billionaires have to do with these remarkable facts? Most of these people directly or indirectly link their wealth to commodities. The coal sector has had a significant impact on the well-being of Indonesia, a country of 247 million relatively poor people. Retail sales grew even as the rest of the world was reeling from the 2008 recession; segments of the real estate market have grown by 30% in the last year alone.

However, this level is difficult to maintain. China is considering legislation to import coal with a calorific value (a measure of energy intensity) below 3,900 kilocalories per kg. It's a type of coal typically burned in low-tech, dirty power plants - and it's the type of coal that most often comes to China from Indonesia. In contrast, most thermal coal from Australia, North America and Russia are above the 3,900 kcal/kg level.

№6. In the long term, global demand for metallurgical coal will grow by 500 Mt annually – a 200% increase by 2030.

China is the biggest driver of demand. In 2012, the Chinese metallurgical industry consumed 581 Mt of metallurgical (coking) coal. That's an 8% increase in one year, even as the economy shows signs of slowing. China has to import 71 Mt of coal.

However, China is far from an exception. Brazil was constructing numerous infrastructure projects, stadiums and houses in preparation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. Japan has many facilities to rebuild, and coking coal consumption in India is growing, along with the need for thermal coal. And let's not forget South Korea: with the second largest shipbuilding industry, it consumes the most coking coal per capita on the planet.

With such demand, supply is quite limited. Only five countries in the world export significant amounts of metallurgical coal: Australia, Canada, the United States, Russia and Indonesia. The global recession has forced some producers to shelve mine expansion plans, and good new deposits are rare to find.

№7. It's not just floods in Australia - labor issues and looming higher coal taxes are also weighing on coal prices.

Floods in 2010 flooded coal mines, washed out railway lines, and while few in the world may know about closed port facilities, Australians are well aware of them. It is not that difficult to disrupt the supply of a highly sought-after product.

Labor issues can also be expected to affect this industry. For example, thousands of Turkish miners went on strike against unsafe working conditions following a coal mine explosion in mid-May that killed more than 300 miners. Australia's main coal carrier Aurizon Holdings Ltd. wants to end more than a dozen collective agreements after year-long negotiations with workers failed. These are just two examples.

There are also taxes that will only increase on the world's two largest coal suppliers.

Growing demand and limited supply... seems like an attractive situation for us investors.

In the Chinese Liuhuangou Coal Field, which lasted more than 130 years. The flames consumed about 2 million tons of coal annually.

Since the 1930s, Hashima Island has become the most densely populated place on Earth. Over 5 thousand people lived on an area with a coastline of about 1 kilometer who were engaged in coal mining. However, by 1974, absolutely all the inhabitants left the island due to the fact that coal on the island had completely run out. Currently, Hashima is a ghost town with abandoned buildings, and only a part of the island that is safe for visiting is open to tourists.

In 2010, the largest traffic jam on the planet was recorded on China's National Highway 110. Drivers reported that they covered the 100-kilometer stretch over 5 days, and the traffic jam lasted from August 14 to 25. The traffic jam was caused by a sharp increase in the number of trucks transporting coal from Inner Mongolia province to the Chinese capital.

Back in 1960, coal accounted for 1/2 of all energy produced, and already in 1970 its share dropped to 1/3.

The hardest and highest quality coal is anthracite. It has a metallic luster and has been known to people since ancient times. The main anthracite reserves are in Russia and China (more than 6 million tons of coal), and in China the development is very widespread and there will be enough coal for about 20-25 years. In Russia, anthracite will last for 275 years.

How is coal formed?

The ideal place for the formation of coal is where stagnant water, depleted, prevents the activity of bacteria, preserving a significant part of the plant mass from complete decomposition. At one stage, acids are released that prevent further bacterial activity. This is how the initial product for the formation of coal arises. If it is later buried under other sediments, the peat undergoes compression, losing water and gases, transforming into coal.

The layering of sediment creates pressure. Thus, under the influence of mass pressure, a layer of brown coal 4 meters thick is formed from a 20-meter layer of peat. If the depth of burial of plant material increases to 3 kilometers, then the same layer of peat will form into a layer of coal 2 meters thick. At greater depths, about 6 kilometers, and at higher temperatures, a 20-meter layer of peat becomes a layer of anthracite only 1.5 meters thick.