Difference Between Coking Coal and Thermal Coal

Thekey difference在焦化煤和热煤之间coking coal is mainly used to produce high-quality可乐, whereas thermal coke is important in producing electricity.

煤是一种sedimentary可燃的岩石。它以黑色或褐色的黑色出现。通常，煤含有碳和可变量的其他化学元素，例如氢，硫，氧气和氮。有不同类型的煤炭，例如泥炭，褐煤，底部煤炭，bituminous coal, etc. depending on the composition. Also, we can categorize coal into different types according to the application; thermal coal and coking coal are two such categories.

CONTENTS

1.Overview and Key Difference
2.What is Coking Coal
3.What Thermal Coal
4.Side by Side Comparison – Coking Coal vs Thermal Coal in Tabular Form
5.概括

What is Coking Coal?

焦化煤炭是一种对制造高质量可乐很重要的煤炭。也称为metallurgical coal. This substance is an essential fuel and is useful as a reactant in the blast furnace process of primary steelmaking. Therefore, the demand for this type of coal is parallel to that of steel. Due to the same reason, steel making companies have a division that produces coking coal in order to get a low-cost supply for their steel production process.

Coking coal has a low ash content, low moisture content and low sulfur and phosphorous contents. We can categorize coking coal as a type of bituminous coal depending on the chemical composition. This type of coal can produce strong and low-density coke when it is heated in the presence of a low oxygen environment. During this heating process, coking coal softens. The volatile components tend to evaporate, and these components then escape through pores in the coal mass.

During the process of coking (production of coke from coking coal), the material tends to swell and its volume increases. The ability of coking coal to form coke relates to its physical properties such as the rank of coal. In contrast to coking coal, thermal coal cannot produce coke when the material is heated.

The term caking ability describes coking coal because it refers to the suitability of coal to be converted into coke. There are different types of coking coal, including hard coking coal, medium coking coal, semi-soft coking coal, and pulverized coal.

What is Thermal Coal?

Thermal coal is a type of coal that is mainly used for the generation of power. This type of coal can produce electricity upon heating. Thermal coal is also named as steam coal. This type of coal plays a vital role in electricity generation worldwide. This material is the source of heat for about 40% of the electricity generation globally.

However, due to various environmental considerations, the use of thermal coal is limited now. It has become a major cause of global warming. As an evaluation, back in 2014, thermal coal peaked in electricity generation, and it is estimated that this usage will come to a terminal at around 2050 if we attempt to limit global warming. As a result, most of the companies have stopped investing in new thermal coal productions.

是什么Difference Between Coking Coal and Thermal Coal?

We can categorize coal into different groups depending on the application. Thermal coal and coking coal are two such types of coal. The key difference between coking coal and thermal coal is that coking coal is mainly used to produce high-quality coke, whereas thermal coke is important in producing electricity. Thermal coal is highly produced and has a low cost while thermal coal usage is limited due to environmental considerations.

Below infographic summarizes the difference between coking coal and thermal coal.

概括– Coking Coal vs Thermal Coal

根据应用程序，煤炭可以分为不同的组。热煤和焦化煤是两种类型的煤。焦化煤和热煤之间的关键区别在于，焦化煤主要用于生产高质量的可乐，而热焦对于生产电力很重要。

Reference:

1. How Is Steel Produced? 6 Dec. 2019, Worldcoal.org,Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Koks Brennstoff” By Stahlkocher – Own work(CC BY-SA 3.0)viaCommons Wikimedia