Here is your pdf: Coal mining and processing in South Africa – What is coal?

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Coal:RESOURCE PACK

Coal Mining and Processing in South Africa

Coal Mining and Processing in South Africa

11Coal is the altered remains ofprehistoric vegetation that originally

accumulated in swamps and peat

bogs.The build-up of silt and other sediments, together

with movements in the EarthÕs crust (known as tectonic

movements) buried these swamps and peat bogs,often to great depths. With burial, the plant material

was subjected to high temperatures and pressures.

This caused physical and chemical changes in the

vegetation, transforming it into peat and then into

coal.Coal formation began during theCarboniferous Period Ð known as the

first coal age Ð which spanned

360 million to 290 million years ago.The quality of each coal deposit is

determined by temperature and

pressure and by the length of time in

formation, which is referred to as its

Ôorganic maturityÕ. Initially the peat is

converted into lignite or Ôbrown coalÕ

Ð these are coal types with low organic

maturity. In comparison to other coals,

lignite is quite soft and its colour can

range from dark black to various shades

of brown.

Over many more millions of years, the

continuing effects of temperature and

pressure produces further change in the lignite,

progressively increasing its organic maturity and

transforming it into the range known as Ôsub-

bituminousÕ coals.Further chemical and physical changes occur until

these coals became harder and blacker, forming the

ÔbituminousÕ or Ôhard coalsÕ. Under the right conditions,

the progressive increase in the organic maturity can

continue, finally forming anthracite.DefinitionCoal is a fossil fuel. It is a combustible,sedimentary, organic rock, which is composed

mainly of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It is

formed from vegetation, that has beenconsolidated between other rock strata andaltered by the combined effects of pressure and

heat over millions of years to form coal seams.

Types of CoalThe degree of change undergone by a coal as it

matures from peat to anthracite Ð known as

coalification Ð has an important bearing on its physical

and chemical properties and is referred to as the

ÔrankÕ of the coal.What is Coal?

Source: Australian

Coal AssociationPeat

Brown coal

Sub-bituminousBituminous200150

100500Reserves-to-production Ratios. 2003 (years)

Source: BP 2004

OilNatural GasCoalCountries with the Largest Reserves of Coal, 2003 (billion tonnes)

250200150

100

500USA

RussiaChinaIndiaAustralia

GermanySouth Africa

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