Of all the electricity generated worldwide, about
40 per cent is produced from coal. It is also
the principal form of reductant in the metallurgical
industries, with over 66 per cent of world steel
production dependent on coal.
With the exception of power stations there was a decline in the consumption of black coal by majors users in 2006.
Other Industrial Uses of Coal
Other important users of coal in Australia
include the alumina refineries in Queensland
and Western Australia, paper maunufacturers,
breweries and the chemical and pharmaceutical
industries.
In alumina
refineries coal is used to generate process
heat to separate alumina from the impurities
in the ore. Under high temperatures and pressure
the alumina is dissolved while the impurities
remain solid.
Paper manufacturers and breweries use coal for
steam raising and for heating and processing,
and bricks, tiles and earthenware pipes are
fired at high temperatures, often in coalfired
kilns.
Several chemical products can be produced from
the by-products of coal. Refined coal tar is
used in the manufacture of a range of chemicals
- pitch, creosote oil, naphthalene, phenol,
pyridine, benzene and toluene. Ammonia gas recovered
from coke ovens is used to manufacture ammonia
salts, nitric acid and agricultural fertilisers
- sulphate of ammonia and ammonium nitrate.
Thousands of different products have coal or
coal by-products as components. Soap, aspirin,
solvents, dyes, plastics and fibres like rayon
and nylon are some of them.
Coal
has a wide range of important uses - the major
ones being: