Tag: mineral fuels

Despite of having the fifth largest coal reserves in the world, India is a major importer of coal because of its over dependence on thermal power generation and to feed its steel plants. In India, most of the coal mines are concentrated in eastern and south-central India, i.e. areas around Chota Nagpur plateau which includes states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal. 

Coal is called black gold because it is black in colour and it is costly too. It is used in wide range of industrial applications and creates a positive impact on the economic development of the country. Thus it's value is compared with that of Gold.

• Lignite is a low grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content.
• Bituminous coal is the most popular coal in commercial use. 
  
• Anthracite is the highest quality hard coal.
  
• Magnetite is the finest iron ore with a very high content of iron up to 70 per cent. 
  

• Coal and petroleum are formed from remains of dead vegetation and marine organisms.
  
• These are carbonaceous fuels. These are extracted from earth and are formed by fossil decomposition and are hence called fossil fuels. These fuels form major source of energy.
  

Jharia is famous for its rich coal resources, used to make coke. The coal field lies in the Damodar River Valley and covers about 110 square miles (280 square km) and produces bituminous coal suitable for coke. Most of India's coal comes from Jharia. Jharia coal mines are India's most important storehouse coke coal used in blast furnaces, it consists of 23 large underground and nine large open cast mines. 

Coal is itself a sedimentary rock formed when remains of plants such as peat undergo bacterial decay and followed by compaction due to sedimentation, as it undergoes this process it releases methane and becomes carbon rich and hard.

Damodar valley is called Ruhr of India because it has similar characteristics with that of Ruhr which is located in Germany. The characteristic is that Ruhr has immense coal resources. In the same way Damodar valley accounts for 6% of the coal reserves of India.

• Type of coal that is used commercially is bituminous coal.  Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tar like substance called bitumen.
  
• This coal is graded based on plasticity, moisture content, volatility and ash content.
  
• Plasticity is essential for the production coke which is useful in making fuel gases like producer gas etc.
  
• Volatility is essential for steel making and power generation.
  

The most superior quality coal is anthracite. It has highest carbon content with 92.1% to 98% carbon. It ignites with difficulty and burns with smoke. China accounts for major production worldwide. It has fewest impurities and highest calorific value after graphite.

• Neyveli is located 62 kilometres (39 mi) inland from Bay of Bengal, west of Pondicherry and 197 kilometres (122 mi) south of Chennai. 
  
• The town was developed in 1956 after the establishment of Neyveli Lignite Corporation, a public sector enterprise.
  
• NLC India Limited is a government-owned lignite mining and power generating company in India.
  
• NLC operates the largest open-pit lignite mines in India.