Coal Products: Coke, Coal Gas and Coal Tar

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Collegedunia Team

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Coal Products are the beneficial by-products which are produced by heating coal without air during refining. This process is mainly done by big Industries to obtain some useful products. 

Coal is known to be a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock composed mainly of carbon. The slow process where dead vegetation is changing into coal is known as carbonisation.

There are three main products of Coal, namely

  • Coke
  • Coal Tar
  • Coal Gas

It is also used in train engines and to produce electricity. Coal is one of the fuels used to cook food. 

Key Terms: Coal, Coal Gas, Coke, Coal Tar, Petroleum, Natural Gas, Fossil Fuel, Anthracite, Carbon


What is Coal?

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Coal is a black color fossil fuel which gets generated by the remains of plants or animals. It is a combustible black sedimentary deposit which is composed of Carbon. This fossil fuel is one of the most important elements and widely used all over the world. It is extracted from ground for different uses in various ways and can exist till millions of years.

  • Chemical name of coal is Anthracite which is C15H11O.
  • It is a black-colored hard substance.
  • It is a combination of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and a minor amount of sulfur.
  • Anthracite, bituminous, and lignite are the major types of coal.

Uses of Coal

Some of the many uses of Coal include:

  • Widely used in homes and industries over the years.
  • Electricity is generated using coal at thermal power plants.
  • Industrialists use coal to convert it into coal gas as fuel which is an essential product today.
  • It is also used as a source of organic chemicals.
  • Coal is used to extract its three main products which are used as fuel in various ways in different fields.

Read Also: Uses Of Coal: Definition, Formation, Characteristics, Properties 


Coal Products

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Coal basically has three main products:

  • Coke is one of the products of coals and it can be found in a solid residue when coal is heated in the absence of air.
  • Coal Gas is formed in the same way as Coke, but in a gaseous state.
  • Coal Tar is formed in the same way as Coke, but in a liquid state.

The rapid heating of coal without air is known as destructive coal distillation. When coal is burned in the presence of air, it primarily burns to produce carbon dioxide, with no other products of value.

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What is Coke?

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Coke is formed when coal is heated in absence of air after which coal tar and coal gas are eliminated and the black residue which is left behind is Coke. It helps as a reducing agent in the extraction of minerals, and manufacturing of steel and is used as a fuel.

What is Coke

Coke Coal Image

  • Containing 98% of carbon it is the almost pure form of carbon.
  • It is a substance which does not produce any smoke while burning.
  • It is known to be the closest form of pure carbon.
  • Debris and Sulphur are the most significant properties of coke. 

Uses of Coke

Some of the common uses of coke are:

  • Coke is most commonly used as a fuel for Ovens, heaters, and forges. It is also said that coke is a better fuel than coal because more heat is produced by coke. 
  • Coke is used for the manufacturing steel.
  • It is also used as a reducing agent in the extraction of metal.

What is Coal Tar ?

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Coal Tar is basically a by-product while the formation of coke. Coal Tar has the same color as the cok, but the major point of difference is that coal tar is a highly viscous liquid producing a very unpleasant smell.

what is Coal Tar

Coal Tar

  • Coal Tar contains 42% carbon, 48% hydrocarbons and remaining is acquired by the water.
  • Coal tar contains a property which does not allow it to dissolve in water.
  • It is semi-solid and semi-liquid in nature.
  • The density of this substance is very thick.
  • Coal is inflammable in nature.

Uses of Coal Tar

Some Coal Tar uses are:

  • Naphthalene Balls that are often used as moth repellants are a derivative pf Coal tar.
  • Highly used in manufacturing of synthetic dyes, explosives, drugs, paints, perfumes, photographic materials, and etc.
  • Soaps are also made of Coal Tar.
  • Coal tar was also used in making roads. However, Bitumen is now broadly used in place of it.

What is Coal Gas ?

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Just like coal tar, coal gas is also a by-product of coke formed during the making of Coke. This flammable gas is a mixture of gasses like hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide and volatile hydrocarbons. Coal gas also has a pungent smell.

What is Coal Gas

Coal Gas

  • This gas is procured from distillation of soft coal.
  • Coal Gas can catch fire easily due to its inflammable nature.
  • This Gas is supplied via a pipe system.

Uses of Coal Gas

Some of the many uses of Goal Gas are:

  • Used for heating and municipal lighting.
  • It is used for the production of chemical feedstocks.
  • Also used as an illuminant.
  • Mainly used in industries.

Natural Resources

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Natural resources are those resources which can be found in nature, entirely independent of human actions. Natural Resources are further divided into two types:

  • Inexhaustible Natural Resources: These resources can be found in an unlimited quantity in nature. These are not likely to be exhausted due to human activities. Example: Sunlight.
  • Exhaustible Natural Resources: These type of natural resources are limited in Nature and can be exhausted due to human activities, Example: Petroleum and Coal.

What is Petroleum?

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Petroleum can be defined as a mineral oil which is found under the ground or sea in order to make petrol, plastic and several other types of chemical substances.

Some of by-products of petroleum are:

  • Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
  • Kerosene
  • Petrol
  • Bitumen
  • Wax
  • Lubricating Oil

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Things to Remember

  • To create valuable products like coke, coal tar, and coal gas, coal is processed in the industrial sector.
  • Coal is a fossil fuel with a dark brownish color that is made from the remains of plants or animals.
  • Destructive coal distillation is the quick heating of coal without air.
  • Coke, which is formed by coal, contains 98% of carbon in it.
  • Coal tar and Coal gas both are formed during the making of coke.

Sample Questions

Ques. Explain products of coal. (4 marks)

Ans: Coal is used in the industries to get some useful products out of it like coke, coal tar and coal gas.

(a) Coke: When coal is burned without the presence of air, coal tar and coal gas are released, and the black residue that remains is your coke. which is also known as a pure form of carbon.

(b) Coal Tar: Coal Tar is a black liquid with a very unpleasant smell. It is a by-product we get while forming coke. It is majorly used during the manufacturing of paints or anti-dandruff shampoos.

(c) Coal Gas: Coal gas is also the by-product of the coke. A combination of gasses including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, and volatile hydrocarbons make up this combustible gas. The smell of this gas is also not at all pleasant.

Ques. Which one of the following is made using Coal Tar? (1 mark)
(a) Petrol
(b) Coke
(c) Air
(d) Naphthalene Balls

Ans. (d) Naphthalene Balls

Explanation: Naphthalene Balls are used to repel moths. It prevents damage from moths, moth larvae, and other insects. Mothballs are also named as naphthalene balls. Therefore, naphthalene balls are made from coal tar and used to prevent moths. 

Ques. What is coal? Write its two uses. (2 marks)

Ans. Coal is a hard, black inflammable substance that mainly contains carbon in it.

Uses of Coal:

  • It is used mainly as a fuel in homes and industry.
  • It is also used as a fuel at Thermal Power Plants for generating electricity.

Ques. Explain coal tar. (1 mark)

Ans. Coal Tar is produced when heating of coal happens in the absence of air. It is a black in color, thick and a viscous liquid. It has an unpleasant smell. It is a mixture of many compounds. There are benzene, toluene, naphthalene, phenol, etc., present in coal tar.

Ques. Where do you get coal and how is it formed? (1 mark)

Ans. Coal is found deep in the earth’s crust stored at the coal mines. It is formed by the slow decomposition of dead trees and other vegetable matter buried deep beneath the earth’s crust under high pressure and temperature.

Ques. Why is Coal known as the Fossil fuel? (1 mark)

Ans: Coal is known to be a Fossil fuel because it is made of remains of dead animals and dead plants.

Ques. What do you mean by Coal gas? (1 mark)

Ans. Coal gas is known to be formed during the making of Coal to get coke. Coal gas is used mainly for the purpose of heating and municipal lighting. It is also used for the production of chemical feedstocks. 

Ques. What is the meaning of coke? Write its uses. (3 marks)

Ans. Coke is a tough material and black substance. It is known as the purest form of carbon. It is formed by heating coal in the absence of air.

Uses: 

(i) It is basically used in the manufacture of steel.

(ii) It is also used in the extraction of metals.

(iii)The most popular use for coke as a fuel include forges, ovens, and heaters.

(iv) Additionally, it is asserted that coke is a superior fuel to coal since it generates more heat.

Ques. Industries utilize coal processing to create a variety of useful goods. Which of the following is not obtained from coal? (1 mark)
(a) Coke
(b) Coal tar
(c) Coal gas
(d) CNG

Ans.(d) CNG

Explanation: Natural gas is compressed to create compressed natural gas, or CNG. In contrast to the other available options, CNG is a petroleum-based product.

Ques. What is Fossil Fuel? (1 mark)

Ans. Fossil fuels are the natural fuels composed by the burial of living organisms in the earth for a long time period. Examples include Coal, petroleum, etc.


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