Page 60 - New Trends In Coal Conversion

28 New Trends in Coal Conversion

coal and lignite represent 28.4%. Currently Asia is the main coal producing region,
with China being the largest producer, followed by India, the United States, Australia,
Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, Germany, and Poland. The global consumption of
coal increased in line with its production up to 2013, when both consumption and pro-
duction reached their maximum level. Since that date, the trend in world coal con-
sumption has experienced a slight decrease.
The physicochemical and the technological properties of a given coal are related to
three independent geological parameters: coal rank, type, and grade. Coal type and
grade, which describe the coal composition, are the key characteristics of a coal and
vary with the increase in coal rank. Because coal has different uses and properties,
it must be characterized before it is used, whether as a single or blended coal, to deter-
mine its quality and to predict its technological behavior with a view to its end use.
Such a characterization will determine whether the coal or coal blend can or cannot
be used commercially.
Most of the activities related to coal such as mining, beneficiation and processing,
transport, and utilization have a significant impact on the natural environment and hu-
man health. Thus, although coal still is an important contributor to the economic and
social development of many countries, there is a strong need to minimize and reduce
the negative impacts associated with the processes in which coal is involved. Despite
recent environmental policies in some developed countries to restrict coal use, the
world continues to be heavily dependent on this fossil fuel. The future of coal utiliza-
tion in a sustainable development scenario will be conditioned by society’s capacity to
reduce associated emissions through the construction of advanced coal power plants
for power generation and through implantation of more efficient industrial processes
that are able to reduce pollutant emissions to the point of near-zero emissions.

Acknowledgments

The authors are especially grateful to the librarian of the INCAR-CSIC (Spain), Luis Gutiérrez
Fern andez-Tresguerres. Acknowledgements are also extended to D. Flores from Porto Univer-
sity (Portugal), M. Misz-Kennan from University of Silesia (Poland), D. Luis from the INCAR-
CSIC (Spain) and T. Pastor (http://perso.wanadoo.es/teresapastor/turba.htm) for providing some
images included in this chapter.

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