Bituminous Coal: Difference between revisions
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=== Use and Composition === | === Use and Composition === | ||
Bituminous coal is burned for steel production rather than electricity production. Bituminous coal may also be referred to as metallurgical coal or coking coal. This coal is ideal for steelmaking because it has a carbon content of 70–90%, low impurities, and | Bituminous coal is burned for steel production rather than electricity production. Bituminous coal may also be referred to as metallurgical coal or coking coal. This coal is ideal for steelmaking because it has a carbon content of 70–90%, low impurities, and high energy content. Bituminous coal is dense yet brittle, dark brown to black in color, and possibly has a shiny appearance. Because of its brittleness, coal rocks can fragment, creating [[Particulate Matter and Coal Dust|smaller particles that can then be uplifted into the atmosphere]] by winds or motion, for example, on moving train cars. | ||
Other components of coal are its volatile matter, which refers to compounds that evaporate when coal is heated. The volatile matter content determines whether coal can be used in steelmaking, | Other components of coal are its volatile matter, which refers to compounds that evaporate when coal is heated. The volatile matter content determines whether coal can be used in steelmaking, distinguishing bituminous coal from other types of coal. Also relevant for steelmaking, coal should have low amounts of phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S), which lead to impurities in the steel. | ||
Bituminous coal, and other types of coal, contain so-called chalcophile, meaning "sulfur-loving," elements. Chalcophiles include toxic metals such as lead (Pb), selenium (Se), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg), which are known cause cancer and other [[Health Impacts of Particles and Coal Dust|adverse health effects]] even at very low levels.<ref>Senior et al., [[:File:16470.pdf|Toxic Substances from Coal Combustion—A Comprehensive Assessment]], 2001.</ref> | |||
=== Geological Formation === | === Geological Formation === | ||
Bituminous coal was formed | Bituminous coal was formed in ancient tropical swamps 300 million years ago and is mined today in locations that include the coal seams of the Appalachian Basin in West Virginia.<ref>Milici et al., [[:File:Pp1708 d3.pdf|Bituminous Coal Production in the Appalachian Basin: Past, Present, and Future]], Chapter D.3 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.3, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014</ref><ref>Tewalt et al., [[:File:Pp1708 d4.pdf|Coal Assessments and Coal Research in the Appalachian Basin]], Chapter D.4 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.4, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014</ref> These swamps were home to plants such as scale, seed ferns, and true ferns, which thrived in the waterlogged, organic matter-rich conditions needed for coal formation. When these plants died, a thick bed of peat was created on the swamp floor. The peat bed lacked oxygen, i.e., the layer was anaerobic, facilitating coal formation through a process known as coalification. Coalification occurs over millions of years, with the layers of peat continually compressed by local sediments and rocks. The pressure and heat of this overlaying process converts peat to lignite, a form of low-quality coal in what was now a coal bed. | ||
About 100 million years ago, the sea level rose dramatically and the ocean intruded into these freshwater peat swamps. In the Appalachian Basin, this was the Western Interior Seaway, a massive water body that split North America in half. The seawater delivered sulfur, and cyclical sea-level fluctuations called cyclothems brought marine shale, sandstone, and limestone to the coal bed. The lignite layer continued to be squeezed and heated, with moisture removed through tectonic processes and subsidence, concentrating carbon and forming the bitumen that gave way to high-rank bituminous coal.<ref>Arnold, [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/edited-volume/abs/pii/B9780128243282000145?via%3Dihub Coal Formation], The Coal Handbook, Edited by Osborne, Woodhead Publishing, 2023.</ref> | |||
Across the Appalachian Basin, West Virginia in particular experienced subsidence in large areas of peat accumulation, producing over 100 distinct coal seams across the state.<ref>Bowen et al., [[:File:The Broad Economic Impact of West Virginia Metallurgical Coal in.pdf|The Broad Economic Impact of West Virginia Metallurgical Coal in the United States]], West Virginia University (WVU) Bureau of Business and Economic Research, 2023. </ref> Bituminous coal with low volatile matter from the Pocahontas Formation, especially the No. 3 Pocahontas coal bed, and the New River Formation, especially the Beckley and Sewell coal beds, has been mined extensively.<ref>[https://www.wvgs.wvnet.edu/www/coal/cbmp/coalims.html Coal Bed Mapping Project], West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey, 2023. </ref> | |||
Coal mined in the Appalachian Basin is transported by rail to major East Coast ports for global distribution, including the Port of Virginia, which consists of the [[Coal Terminals in the Port of Virginia|Dominion Terminal Associates]] and [[Coal Terminals in the Port of Virginia|Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminals]] in [[Southeast Newport News]] and the [[Coal Terminals in the Port of Virginia|Norfolk Southern Terminal]] in [[Lambert's Point, Norfolk]], as well as [[Baltimore, MD|Curtis Bay]] in Baltimore, Maryland. | Coal mined in the Appalachian Basin is transported by rail to major East Coast ports for global distribution, including the Port of Virginia, which consists of the [[Coal Terminals in the Port of Virginia|Dominion Terminal Associates]] and [[Coal Terminals in the Port of Virginia|Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminals]] in [[Southeast Newport News]] and the [[Coal Terminals in the Port of Virginia|Norfolk Southern Terminal]] in [[Lambert's Point, Norfolk]], as well as [[Baltimore, MD|Curtis Bay]] in Baltimore, Maryland. | ||
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== Documents == | == Documents == | ||
* Senior et al., Toxic Substances from Coal Combustion—A Comprehensive Assessment, 2001 | * [[:File:16470.pdf|Senior et al., Toxic Substances from Coal Combustion—A Comprehensive Assessment, 2001]] | ||
* Milici et al., Bituminous Coal Production in the Appalachian Basin: Past, Present, and Future, Chapter D.3 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.3, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014 | * [[:File:Pp1708 d3.pdf|Milici et al., Bituminous Coal Production in the Appalachian Basin: Past, Present, and Future, Chapter D.3 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.3, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014]] | ||
* Tewalt et al., Coal Assessments and Coal Research in the Appalachian Basin, Chapter D.4 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.4, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014 | * [[:File:Pp1708 d4.pdf|Tewalt et al., Coal Assessments and Coal Research in the Appalachian Basin, Chapter D.4 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.4, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014]] | ||
* [[:File:The Broad Economic Impact of West Virginia Metallurgical Coal in.pdf|Bowen et al., The Broad Economic Impact of West Virginia Metallurgical Coal in the United States, West Virginia University (WVU) Bureau of Business and Economic Research, 2023]] | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
Latest revision as of 23:37, 26 January 2026
Use and Composition
Bituminous coal is burned for steel production rather than electricity production. Bituminous coal may also be referred to as metallurgical coal or coking coal. This coal is ideal for steelmaking because it has a carbon content of 70–90%, low impurities, and high energy content. Bituminous coal is dense yet brittle, dark brown to black in color, and possibly has a shiny appearance. Because of its brittleness, coal rocks can fragment, creating smaller particles that can then be uplifted into the atmosphere by winds or motion, for example, on moving train cars.
Other components of coal are its volatile matter, which refers to compounds that evaporate when coal is heated. The volatile matter content determines whether coal can be used in steelmaking, distinguishing bituminous coal from other types of coal. Also relevant for steelmaking, coal should have low amounts of phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S), which lead to impurities in the steel.
Bituminous coal, and other types of coal, contain so-called chalcophile, meaning "sulfur-loving," elements. Chalcophiles include toxic metals such as lead (Pb), selenium (Se), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg), which are known cause cancer and other adverse health effects even at very low levels.[1]
Geological Formation
Bituminous coal was formed in ancient tropical swamps 300 million years ago and is mined today in locations that include the coal seams of the Appalachian Basin in West Virginia.[2][3] These swamps were home to plants such as scale, seed ferns, and true ferns, which thrived in the waterlogged, organic matter-rich conditions needed for coal formation. When these plants died, a thick bed of peat was created on the swamp floor. The peat bed lacked oxygen, i.e., the layer was anaerobic, facilitating coal formation through a process known as coalification. Coalification occurs over millions of years, with the layers of peat continually compressed by local sediments and rocks. The pressure and heat of this overlaying process converts peat to lignite, a form of low-quality coal in what was now a coal bed.
About 100 million years ago, the sea level rose dramatically and the ocean intruded into these freshwater peat swamps. In the Appalachian Basin, this was the Western Interior Seaway, a massive water body that split North America in half. The seawater delivered sulfur, and cyclical sea-level fluctuations called cyclothems brought marine shale, sandstone, and limestone to the coal bed. The lignite layer continued to be squeezed and heated, with moisture removed through tectonic processes and subsidence, concentrating carbon and forming the bitumen that gave way to high-rank bituminous coal.[4]
Across the Appalachian Basin, West Virginia in particular experienced subsidence in large areas of peat accumulation, producing over 100 distinct coal seams across the state.[5] Bituminous coal with low volatile matter from the Pocahontas Formation, especially the No. 3 Pocahontas coal bed, and the New River Formation, especially the Beckley and Sewell coal beds, has been mined extensively.[6]
Coal mined in the Appalachian Basin is transported by rail to major East Coast ports for global distribution, including the Port of Virginia, which consists of the Dominion Terminal Associates and Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminals in Southeast Newport News and the Norfolk Southern Terminal in Lambert's Point, Norfolk, as well as Curtis Bay in Baltimore, Maryland.
Documents
- Senior et al., Toxic Substances from Coal Combustion—A Comprehensive Assessment, 2001
- Milici et al., Bituminous Coal Production in the Appalachian Basin: Past, Present, and Future, Chapter D.3 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.3, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014
- Tewalt et al., Coal Assessments and Coal Research in the Appalachian Basin, Chapter D.4 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.4, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014
- Bowen et al., The Broad Economic Impact of West Virginia Metallurgical Coal in the United States, West Virginia University (WVU) Bureau of Business and Economic Research, 2023
References
- ↑ Senior et al., Toxic Substances from Coal Combustion—A Comprehensive Assessment, 2001.
- ↑ Milici et al., Bituminous Coal Production in the Appalachian Basin: Past, Present, and Future, Chapter D.3 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.3, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014
- ↑ Tewalt et al., Coal Assessments and Coal Research in the Appalachian Basin, Chapter D.4 of Coal and Petroleum Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Distribution, Geologic Framework, and Geochemical Character, Edited by Ruppert and Ryder, Professional Paper 1708-D.4, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2014
- ↑ Arnold, Coal Formation, The Coal Handbook, Edited by Osborne, Woodhead Publishing, 2023.
- ↑ Bowen et al., The Broad Economic Impact of West Virginia Metallurgical Coal in the United States, West Virginia University (WVU) Bureau of Business and Economic Research, 2023.
- ↑ Coal Bed Mapping Project, West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey, 2023.