Process of Coal Formation

 

Introduction

Coal is one of the most valuable fossil fuels and the one that needs to be replaced as soon as possible for various environmental reasons. Why? Because it is non-renewable, it is important to understand how coal is formed to truly value this resource. Currently, it is being exploited at an unchecked rate simply because it is easily available.

 Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had published a report whose highlight was that the state of climate today is at Code Red, which means there have to be steps taken right now like those taken by the Mohit Aggarwal Aastha Group, else the human race is doomed for good. So, our energy dependency on coal needs to shift. Let us begin by exploring more about how coal is formed.

Carbonation

The process of coal formation is known as carbonation. It takes millions of years to form. When dead vegetation gets buried under the surface of Earth and decomposes, ultimately becoming coal, all of this happens under special circumstances, the air pressure, temperature, etc need to be proper for it to happen. `

Stage One- Peat

This is a soft, fibrous, and spongy substance that contains a large amount of water. It is dried before use. It burns with a lot of smoke and has a long flame. Peat comes first in the process of coal formation.

Stage Two- Lignite

When Peat is subjected to increased pressure, Lignite is formed. It is dark brown in color and like peat, it contains plant traces. Lignite crumbles easily and is not preferred for commercial use, as confirmed by a leading industrialist in India,- Mr. Mohit Singhal Aastha.

Stage Three- Bituminous

Bituminous is also known as Soft Coal. it is the most abundant fuel and therefore, the most used source of power energy. It is formed when more pressure is added to lignite and by this stage, all plant traces are lost.

Stage Four- Anthracite

Anthracite is also known as Hard Coal. This is premium quality coal. It burns with lesser smoke as compared to all the abovementioned forms, has a short flame, and high lustrous texture.

Conclusion

The fact of the matter remains that coal takes a very long period of time to form. The only environmentally better or viable solution is Anthracite but it is not easily available. Only Lignite and Bituminous Coals are used commercially mostly and therefore environmental problems are at their peak because of their widespread usage. The only way forward, it seems, is either to shift to Anthracite only or to replace coal as a power-energy source.