CHAPTER 4 8 COALS, LIGNITE, PEAT James G. Keppeler, P E Progress Energy Corporation INTRODUCTION 1 3 5 5 Nature 1535 48. 1 .2 Reserves—Worldwide and United States 1535 Classifications 1 3 5 7 CURRENT USES—HEAT, POWER, STEELMAKING, OTHER 1 3 5 9 TYPES 1 3 5 9 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES—DESCRIPTION AND TABLES OF SELECTED VALUES 1 4 5 0 BURNING CHARACTERISTICS 1 4 5 1 ASH CHARACTERISTICS 1 4 5 3 SAMPLING COAL CLEANING 1 4 5 5 1 4 5 6 INTRODUCTION Nature Coal is a dark brown to black sedimentary rock derived. | CHAPTER 48 COALS LIGNITE PEAT James G. Keppeler . Progress Energy Corporation INTRODUCTION 1535 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL Nature 1535 PROPERTIES DESCRIPTION Reserves Worldwide AND TABLES OF SELECTED and United States 1535 VALUES 1540 Classifications 1537 BURNING CURRENT USES HEAT POWER STEELMAKING CHARACTERISTICS 1541 OTHER 1539 ASH CHARACTERISTICS 1543 TYPES 1539 SAMPLING 1545 COAL CLEANING 1546 INTRODUCTION Nature Coal is a dark brown to black sedimentary rock derived primarily from the unoxidized remains of carbon-bearing plant tissues. It is a complex combustible mixture of organic chemical and mineral materials found in strata or seams in the earth consisting of a wide variety of physical and chemical properties. The principal types of coal in order of metamorphic development are lignite subbituminous bituminous and anthracite. While not generally considered a coal peat is the first development stage in the coalification process in which there is a gradual increase in the carbon content of the fossil organic material and a concomitant reduction in oxygen. Coal substance is composed primarily of carbon hydrogen and oxygen with minor amounts of nitrogen and sulfur and varying amounts of moisture and mineral impurities. Reserves Worldwide and United States According to the World Coal Study see Ref. 3 the total geological resources of the world in millions of tons of coal equivalent mtce is 10 750 212 of which 662 932 or 6 is submitted as Technically and Economically Recoverable Resources. Millions of tons of coal equivalent is based on the metric ton 2205 lb with a heat content of 12 600 Btu lb 7000 kcal kg . A summary of the percentage of technically and economically recoverable reserves and the percentage of total recoverable by country is shown in Table . As indicated in Table the United States possesses over a quarter of the total recoverable reserves .
