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Coal is a [[Carbon|carbon-containing]] rock formed by the decay of ferns, vines, trees and other plants which flourished in swamps millons of year ago and subsequently became buried. Over time, the actions of bacteria, heat and pressure transformed the buried plant debris first into [[peat]] (a precursor of coal) and then into the various types of coal as we know them today.<ref name=Perry's>{{cite book|author=Green, Don W. and Perry, Robert H. (Editors)|title=Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook|edition=6th Edition|publisher=McGraw-Hill|year=1997|id=ISBN 0-07-049479-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Eugene A. Avallone, Theodore Baumeister and Ali Sadegh (Editors)|title=Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers|edition=11th Edition|publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional|year=2006|id=ISBN 0-07-142867-4}}</ref> | |||
Because of the various degrees of transformation that occurred during the forming of coal deposits in different locations, the composition of coal coal varies from one coal deposit to another. No two coals are the same in every respect. In general, coal consists of [[carbon]], [[hydrogen]], [[oxygen]], [[nitrogen]], [[sulfur]] and mineral matter (compounds of [[silica]], [[aluminum]], [[iron]], [[calcium]], [[magnesium]] and others). | |||
==Refs== | |||
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Revision as of 18:32, 28 April 2009
Coal is a carbon-containing rock formed by the decay of ferns, vines, trees and other plants which flourished in swamps millons of year ago and subsequently became buried. Over time, the actions of bacteria, heat and pressure transformed the buried plant debris first into peat (a precursor of coal) and then into the various types of coal as we know them today.[1][2]
Because of the various degrees of transformation that occurred during the forming of coal deposits in different locations, the composition of coal coal varies from one coal deposit to another. No two coals are the same in every respect. In general, coal consists of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and mineral matter (compounds of silica, aluminum, iron, calcium, magnesium and others).
Refs
- ↑ Green, Don W. and Perry, Robert H. (Editors) (1997). Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, 6th Edition. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-049479-7.
- ↑ Eugene A. Avallone, Theodore Baumeister and Ali Sadegh (Editors) (2006). Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, 11th Edition. McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 0-07-142867-4.