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Anthracite is a variety of hard coal that has a high carbon content ranging between 86 to 98 percent. Anthracites have an attractive metal-like lustre and are the least volatile variety of coal. However, once ignited it does not take too much effort to sustain the combustion. Anthracite coal burns with a beautiful pale blue flame and are also the least available variety of coal, found only in select geographical locations. There are three grades of Anthracite coal namely Ultra-High Grade, High Grade and Standard Grade.
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Key Terms: Anthracite, Coal, Composition, Reserves, Combustion, Flame, Carbon, Metal, Mineral, Ferric Oxide, Metallurgy, Power, Electricity
Definition and Composition of Anthracite
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Anthracites are the most highly metamorphosed variety of mineral coal with high carbon content and low volatility. It has the highest quantity of fixed carbon (approximately 86%) among all other varieties of coal. It is a very hard variety of coal that is also highly brittle and breaks up into sharp fragments.
Anthracites have the following composition:
- Carbon – (approx.) 86%
- Ash – 6-16%
- Moisture – 5-15%
Other than the 2 main elements (Carbon and Ash), there are also numerous trace elements such as Sulfur (0.23%-1.2%), Silica Oxide (2.2%-5.4%), Alumina (2%) and Ferric Oxide (0.4%) that constitute Anthracite coal.
Anthracite
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Different Types of Anthracite Coal
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Anthracite Coal can be classified into 3 different grades: Ultra-High Grade, High Grade and Standard Grade.
- Ultra-High Grade: This is the purest grade of Anthracite Coal and constitutes 95% carbon. Owing to its strong structural integrity, this grade of coal is used in metallurgy and steel-making industries. They release very less smoke when burnt and are used for generating smokeless fuel at home and sometimes even for purifying impure water. They contain the least amount of impurities such as moisture, ash and other volatile substances.
- High-Grade: The second purest grade of Anthracite coal, high-grade anthracites are also rich in carbon content and form an integral part of the steelmaking and metallurgy industries. They are also used as a cheaper alternative for coke in pelletizing, sintering and also PCI (Pulverized Coal Injection).
- Standard Grade: As opposed to the uses of high-grade Anthracite in steel and metallurgy industries, standard grade Anthracite is mostly used for the generation of power or electricity.
Important Characteristics of Anthracite
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Some important characteristics of Anthracite are as follows:
- It has a high amount of fixed carbon ranging between 86 to 95 percent.
- It comprises extremely low Sulfur and Nitrogen content.
- This type of coal is not easily combustible due to its high density (1.3-1.8 g/cm3)
- It has extremely low volatile matter (usually 14% or lower).
- It is slow-burning coal with moisture content ranging roughly between 5-15 percent.
- Has an extremely high heating value. Releases up to 13,000 to 15,000 Btu heat per pound.
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Uses of Anthracite
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Burning even a small amount of Anthracite releases an immense amount of heat and thus, this type of coal is extensively used in heating systems.
- Smelting is another use of Anthracite coal because of its high carbon content.
- Anthracite filtration is considered to be one of the most efficient ways of cleaning industry-polluted water or just municipal water.
- Due to its hard and tough build, Anthracite coal was also used as train fuel.
- The fine particles found in Anthracite Coal are often used as a component in charcoal briquettes.
- In modern days, Anthracite coal is used extensively for the generation of domestic fuel across a large number of households.
Geographical Reserves of Anthracite Coal
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Anthracites, being the least readily available variety of coal, are found in only a few locations around the world. One of the essential requirements for their formation is the right temperature which is between 170 to 250 degrees Celsius.
Anthracite coal is generally mined from deformed geological locations, especially in between the folds of sedimentary rocks. The largest concentration of Anthracite coal in the world is found in The Lackawanna Coal mine in Pennsylvania, USA. It is estimated to contain about 6.3 billion tonnes of Anthracite coal reserves.
The Groundhog Anthracite Deposit in the UK is another geographical location containing a substantially large deposit of Anthracite coal. Other than the USA and UK, Anthracite coal is also abundantly found in countries such as Ukraine, Russia and China. A significant amount of deposits is also available in countries such as Vietnam and North Korea.
Groundhog Anthracite Deposit
Some deposits of Anthracite coal, formed during the cretaceous and tertiary periods, are also found in the Rocky Mountains of Canada and the Andes range in Peru.
Mining Sites of Anthracite
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At present, China mines the majority of the anthracite in the world with more than three-quarters of total production. In China, the majority of anthracite is of standard grade, which has been been used in power generation. Due to the increased demand, China is a net importer of fuel, mainly from Vietnam, a major producer of anthracite for power generation.
The production of Anthracite in the USA is about 5 million tonnes per year currently. Pennsylvania mines about 1.8 million tonnes of that total. The mining of Anthracite coal is going strong in eastern Pennsylvania, with a contribution of up to 1% of the state's GDP. Over 2,000 workers worked in the anthracite coal mining industry in 1995.
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Things to Remember
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- Anthracites are a tough, highly metamorphosed variety of coal with high carbon content.
- It contains very few volatile particles and is not easily combustible.
- It is found mainly in deformed geographical locations such as between the intense folds of sedimentary rocks.
- Also referred to as "hard coal", Anthracite is a highly carbonated fossil fuel that produces the most heat of any fossil fuel on the market and is a very clean-burning fuel due to its low sulphur content.
- Anthracite Coal can be classified into three different grades- Ultra-High Grade, High Grade, and Standard Grade.
- They are used extensively used in smelting and also in the production of domestic fuel.
Sample Questions
Ques. Why is Anthracite considered the highest rank of coal? (3 Marks)
Ans. Anthracite is the most metamorphosed variety of coal available. It has the highest amount of carbon content amongst all other types of coal and has very few impurities as well as low content of volatile matter. It also has high density and structural integrity. This is why Anthracite is considered the highest rank of coal.
Ques. In what kind of geographical locations can you expect to find a high concentration of Anthracite deposits? (3 Marks)
Ans. Anthracite coal is the least readily available among all other variants of coal. It requires very specific conditions for its formation. It requires an ideal temperature range of 170 to 250 degrees Celsius and can mainly be found in deformed landscapes or in sedimentary rock folds which are high-pressure regions that help to enhance metamorphosis.
Ques. Why is Anthracite Coal not easily combustible? (3 Marks)
Ans. Anthracite coal has a very high density of approximately 1.3 to 1.8 grams per cubic centimeter. Apart from this, it also constitutes a very low volume of volatile particles in its overall composition. Due to its high density and low concentration of volatile particles, burning Anthracite coal takes extensive effort. Upon combustion, it is known to burn with a pale blue flame.
Ques. What are the main classifications of Anthracite coal? (3 Marks)
Ans. Anthracite coal can mainly be classified into three separate grades depending on its quality and carbon content. These 3 grades are – Ultra-High Grade, High Grade and Standard Grade. The Ultra-High and High-Grade Anthracite coal is the purest variety of coal available and they find extensive use in metallurgy and steel making. Standard Grade Anthracite is of slightly inferior quality and is mainly used for power generation purposes.
Ques. Why is Anthracite coal used in heating systems? (3 Marks)
Ans. Anthracite coal is not easily combustible but when it does burn it is known to release an extremely high amount of heat. Burning only one pound of Anthracite coal can release about 13,000 to 15,000 Btu of heat. Due to this extreme amount of heat release, Anthracite coal is often used as an important component in heating systems.
Ques. Where can you find the largest deposit of Anthracite coal in the world? (3 Marks)
Ans. Anthracite Coal requires some very specific conditions for its formation and is found only in a few select places across the world. The largest deposit of Anthracite coal has been found in the Lackawanna county coal mine in Pennsylvania, USA. This mine is known to contain a total deposit of about 6.3 billion tonnes of Anthracite coal.
Ques. What is the general composition of Anthracite Coal? (3 Marks)
Ans. Anthracite coal is composed of 2 main components – Carbon and Ash. Other than this they also contain very minute quantities of Sulfur, Alumina, Ferric Oxide, and Silica Oxide. Being the purest form of coal, it has a high carbon content of approximately 86% and a minor ash content of 6 to 16 percent. Anthracite coal is also known to contain about 5 to 15 percent moisture.
Ques. What are some of the most essential uses of Anthracite coal? (3 Marks)
Ans. Anthracite coal has a very high density and therefore high structural integrity as well. Due to this reason, Ultra-high and High-Grade Anthracite coal is often used in metallurgy or in the production of steel. Standard Grade Anthracite coal, being relatively less dense is used as a source of power generation. Anthracite is especially convenient as domestic fuel because it releases a very minute amount of smoke upon burning.
Other than this, Anthracite coal is also used in water filtration systems to purify polluted water.
Ques. Which countries have the highest deposits of Anthracite coal? (3 Marks)
Ans. Anthracite Coal is found only in a few select countries across the world. The highest concentration of Anthracite coal is found in the USA followed by the UK. Other than these two countries, countries like Russia, Ukraine, China, Vietnam, North Korea, Canada, and Peru also contain significant amounts of Anthracite deposits.
India, unfortunately, does not contain any significant deposit of Anthracite coal. In our country, it is mainly found only in Jammu and Kashmir and that too is a very low quantity.
Ques. What are the main differences between Bituminous coal and Anthracite coal? (5 Marks)
Ans. The major differences between the two are as follows:
- Bituminous Coal
- Carbon concentration is between 77 to 87 percent.
- It is a kind of sedimentary rock.
- Relatively more volatile than Anthracite coal.
- Found abundantly in many parts of the world.
- Anthracite Coal
- Carbon concentration is generally higher than 87%.
- It is a kind of metamorphic rock.
- Very low volatility due to lower concentration of volatile particles.
- Relatively less abundant and found in only a select few places across the world.
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