Coal
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Coal is a black solid fossil fuel. It is usually very hard. Coal is made of 65%-95% carbon. It also has hydrocarbons and some other compounds in it. It is formed from the remains of plants that lived millions of years ago. Similar substance made from wood by heating it in airless space is called charcoal.
Coal can be burned for energy or heat. About two-thirds of the coal mined today is burned in power stations to make electricity. Burning it is not as common as it used to be, because it causes much pollution.
Coal can be dry-distilled (heated in high temperature in a place where there is no oxygen) to produce coke. Coke is even better fuel than coal, and coke can be used in smelting for reducing metals from ores.
[change] See also
- Petroleum
- Natural gas
- Fossil Fuel
- Coke(fuel)
