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For more information on coal, please click on the link below:
World Coal Institute
Q: What is Coal?
A: Coal is a fossil fuel. It is a combustible, sedimentary, organic rock, which is composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It is formed from vegetation, which has been consolidated between other rock strata and altered by the combined effects of pressure and heat over millions of years to form coal seams.
Source: World Coal Institute
Q: How much energy is generated by coal?
A: Coal is widely recognized as an excellent fossil fuel energy source. More than half of the electricity used in the United States is generated by coal.
| Generation of Energy in the US |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration |
Q: How much coal is produced each year?
A: In 2004, it was estimated that 4,369 million tonnes of coal was produced. South Africa was the fifth largest producer of coal, producing 238 million tonnes of the total.
Top Ten Hard Coal Producers (2004e)
PR China 1,956 Mt
USA 933 Mt
India 373 Mt
Australia 285 Mt
South Africa 238 Mt
Russia 210 Mt
Indonesia 129 Mt
Poland 100 Mt
Kazakhstan 83 Mt
Ukraine 62 Mt
Source: World Coal Institute
Q: What is the major use of coal?
A: One of the largest users of coal is the steel production industry. Over 66% of total global steel production relies on inputs of coal. In 2005, the top ten countries that accounted for 851 million tonnes of steel production. In 2004, over 1 billion tonnes of crude steel were consumed worldwide. Steel is 100% recyclable, with some 405 million tonnes of recycled steel consumed in 2003.
Source: World Coal Institute
More facts about coal:
1. Coal is abundant: many countries have extensive reserves of coal; it is mined in more than 50 countries.
2. Coal is safe: it is the safest fossil fuel to transport, store and use.
3. Coal is secure: coal users are guaranteed security of supply at competitive prices due to abundant reserves, hence electricity supplies for industrial and domestic use are assured.
4. Coal is clean: coal can now be burnt cleanly throughout the world using current technologies.
5. Coal is cost-effective: globally, coal is a competitive fuel for the gerenation of electricity and is the major energy source for power generation.
Source: World Coal Institute
[chart - http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/coal/page/coalnews/coalmar.html]
Q: What is uranium?
A: Uranium is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol U and atomic number 92. Heavy, silvery-white, metallic, naturally radioactive, uranium belongs to the actinide series. Its isotopes 235U and to a lesser degree 233U are used as the fuel for nuclear reactors and the explosive material for nuclear weapons. Depleted uranium (238U) is used in kinetic energy penetrators and armor plating.
Source: www.wikopedia.org
Q: How much uranium was produced world-wide in 2005?
| 2005 Annual Uranium Production |
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| Source: http://www.wise-uranium.org |
Q: How do you describe the uranium industry?
A: The uranium industry encompasses a very small market, with only 10 producers and four traders. There is a severe lack of existing uranium mines, which provides tremendous potential to develop and expand into this sector. There are looming supply-side deficits to meet the growing demand of this commodity. Uranium is becoming more popular as the ‘green energy of choice’. Furthermore, the market price for uranium is widely expected to rise to more than US$50/lb in the near future.
Q: How is uranium used?
A: Uranium is used to generate electricity. After the uranium is mined, it is then sent to a milling plant where it will be crushed and processed. The resulting product is a fine power called "yellowcake". The yellowcake is then further processed and chemically converted. Additional processing at a conversion facility is required. After all this is done, it will be sent to a fuel fabrication plant. The uranium powder will be pressed into cylindrical shapes and fired to produce ceramic fuel pellets. The pellets will then be placed in little rods and fastened together into fuel bundles for the CANDU type reactors in Canada.
Source: Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Bureau |
