Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the development of power generation from coal is expected in the world,
especially in the USA, India and China [86].
Coal reserves are huge: proven reserves amount to 900Gt, repre-
senting 160 years of consumption at the present rate. Coal resources
reach 3700Gt. At the present time, the level of coal reserves does not
appear as a limiting factor for the economic development of coal.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the in-
formation concerning coal reserves is not always reliable. Some coun-
tries, such as China, have not revised the level of their current reserves
for many years, despite the very substantial amounts of coal already
produced.
Different types of coal have been formed through geological processes
which occurred in the past. The most mature and best quality types of
coal are bituminous coal and anthracite. More recently formed types of
coal include lignite and peat. Their heating value is lower and their
production is concentrated in countries where they can be exploited at
low cost using surface mining. As it is the best quality coal which is
preferably exploited, its share in the world reserves tends to decrease.
The production of coal in Europe, which most usually requires deep
mining, has strongly declined.
The recent growth in the price of oil, which resulted in a high price for
natural gas, favoured the use of coal which remained significantly cheaper,
as shown in Figure 7.4.
Figure 7.4 Comparison of the prices of coal, oil and natural gas (
Source
: ATICS)
Search WWH ::




Custom Search