Chapter 2

Coal As A Substance

Content
Physical description
Macroscopic
Microscopic
Mineral Content
Coalification (Rank)
Coalification
Causes
Coal Quality
Chemical Prop
Combustion Prop
Physical Prop
Coal Oxidation
Classification of Coals

Physical Description of Coals

Physical Description of Coals

Coal is sediment, organoclastic in nature, composed of
lithified plant remains and combustible material

Coal constituents can be divided into macerals, organic

equivalent of minerals and mineral matter.
Coal rank is the degree of diagenesis or coalification that a
coal has undergone by burial and tectonic effect

Term brown coal is used for low rank coal such as lignite to
subbituminous coal
Black/hard coal is bituminous to anthracite coal

Coal is divisible into humic coals and sapropelic coals

Humic coals mixture of macroscopic plant debris, typically have
banded appearence
Sapropelic coals composed of restricted variety of microscopic plant
debris, homogenous appearence

Macroscopic Description of Coals

Humic coals
Term that used for description is lithotypes

Macroscopic Description of Coals

Durain (dull, grainy texture, tough)
Fusain (dull black, charcoal texture, hands get dirty)

Clarain (bright, satiny texture, brittle)

Vitrain (bright, black, glassy, brittle).

Macroscopic Description of Coals

Macroscopic Description of Coals

Macroscopic Description of Coals

Macroscopic Description of Coals

Fusain

Macroscopic Description of Coals

Sapropelic Coals
Products of biological and physical degradation in coal peat forming
environment with addition materials such as spore and algae
Cannel coal
Boghead coal

Microscopic Description of Coals

Macerals or organic units can be divided into 3 groups :
Huminite / vitrinite : woody materials

Exinite / liptinite : spores, resin and cuticles

Inertinite : oxidized plant material
Coal

may be made up largely of a single maceral or more usually

association of macerals. These associations when studied
microscopically are called microlithotypes
lithotype can only be recorded if it forms a band > 5 m than
microlithotypes

Microscopic Description of Coals

Microscopic Description of Coals

Microscopic Description of Coals

Microscopic Description of Coals

Mineral Content of Coals

The mineral content of coal is the noncombustible inorganic
fraction

Detrital (clastic) or autighenic mineral (CaCO3, apatite and clays)

Detrital mineral ---> transported into swamp by air or water
Example : quartz, carbonate, iron and clay minerals
Process : water with mineral ---> flooding ---> coal swamp ---> laid down on top of
the organic materials ---> mineral-rich parting in coals
How about the wind ? ---> tonsteins (kaolinite rich sed. Rock)

Authigenic minerals ---> during or after deposition / coalification.

Example : calcium-iron minerals (calcite, ankerite, sideritem pyrite, quartz), clay
minerals

Clay minerals content : < 20 % ( Coal); 20 60 % (carbargilite); > 60 % (no coal /

argillaceous shale

Coalification (Rank)
Coalification : alteration vegetation to peat then transformation to
various rank in coal

Process : Biochemical and Geochemical Stage (metamorphisme)

Biochemical process : peat to brown coal (lignite)
Geochemical

process : carbon content increase then H and O

decrease.
Result : water loss and compaction
Produce methane and carbon dioxide

Coalification (Rank)

Coalification (Rank)
Causes :
Temperature, such as :
Direct contact with intrusion, loss volatile, methane, water and oxygen
Associated with the depth of burial

Time
Degree of coalification is less when the sediment subsided rapidly and
the cooking time was short

Pressure
Phsyco-structural coalification
Decrease porosity and moisture content

Radioactivity
Uranium / thorium contact

Coal Quality
means : those chemical and physical properties of a coal that
influence its potential use

coal quality depend on chemical properties and physical

properties of coal
the quality of coal is determined by the make-up of the original
macerals, mineral content and the degree of coalification

some countries have standard procedure to measure chemical

and physical properties of coals.

Chemical properties of coal

coal can be regarded as being made up of moisture, pure coals
and mineral matter

Source
http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/coalcomp.htm
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/Bulletins/102_1/06_
petro.html
http://www.slideshare.net/adhlino_bono/coal-mine
http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/42202fusain-evidence-of-a-forest-fire-307-myaedited/?hl=fusain
http://geology.com/articles/coal-through-amicroscope.shtml

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Source
http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/coalcomp.htm
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/Bulletins/102_1/06_
petro.html
http://www.slideshare.net/adhlino_bono/coal-mine
http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/42202fusain-evidence-of-a-forest-fire-307-myaedited/?hl=fusain
http://geology.com/articles/coal-through-amicroscope.shtml