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What is coal used for?

Coal is primarily used as fuel to generate electric power in the United States. In coal-fired power plants, bituminous coal, subbituminous coal, or lignite is burned. The heat produced by the combustion of the coal is used to convert water into high-pressure steam, which drives a turbine, which produces electricity. In 2019, about 23 percent of all electricity in the United States was generated by coal-fired power plants, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Certain types of bituminous coal can also be used in making steel. Coal used for steel making needs to be high in carbon content and low in moisture, ash, sulfur, and phosphorous content. Coal that meets these specifications is known as metallurgical coal. Coal also has a myriad of other uses, including in cement production, carbon fibers and foams, medicines, tars, synthetic petroleum-based fuels, and home and commercial heating.

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Image: Pliocene Lignite Coal from BEN Village

What are the types of coal?

There are four major types (or “ranks”) of coal. Rank refers to steps in a slow, natural process called “coalification,” during which buried plant matter changes into an ever denser, drier, more carbon-rich, and harder material. The four ranks are:Anthracite: The highest rank of coal. It is a hard, brittle, and black lustrous coal, often referred to as hard coal, containing a high percentage of...

link

What are the types of coal?

There are four major types (or “ranks”) of coal. Rank refers to steps in a slow, natural process called “coalification,” during which buried plant matter changes into an ever denser, drier, more carbon-rich, and harder material. The four ranks are:Anthracite: The highest rank of coal. It is a hard, brittle, and black lustrous coal, often referred to as hard coal, containing a high percentage of...

Learn More
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Image shows a large black stone with a silver sign in front

What is coal?

Coal is a sedimentary deposit composed predominantly of carbon that is readily combustible. Coal is black or brownish-black, and has a composition that (including inherent moisture) consists of more than 50 percent by weight and more than 70 percent by volume of carbonaceous material. It is formed from plant remains that have been compacted, hardened, chemically altered, and metamorphosed by heat...

link

What is coal?

Coal is a sedimentary deposit composed predominantly of carbon that is readily combustible. Coal is black or brownish-black, and has a composition that (including inherent moisture) consists of more than 50 percent by weight and more than 70 percent by volume of carbonaceous material. It is formed from plant remains that have been compacted, hardened, chemically altered, and metamorphosed by heat...

Learn More
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What is the biggest coal deposit in the United States?

The biggest coal deposit by volume is the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, which the USGS estimated to have 1.07 trillion short tons of in-place coal resources, 162 billion short tons of recoverable coal resources, and 25 billion short tons of economic coal resources (also called reserves) in 2013. The coal in the Powder River Basin is subbituminous in rank. Large coal deposits can also...

link

What is the biggest coal deposit in the United States?

The biggest coal deposit by volume is the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, which the USGS estimated to have 1.07 trillion short tons of in-place coal resources, 162 billion short tons of recoverable coal resources, and 25 billion short tons of economic coal resources (also called reserves) in 2013. The coal in the Powder River Basin is subbituminous in rank. Large coal deposits can also...

Learn More
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Image: Coal Burning Power Plant

Which country has the most coal?

As of January 2020, the United States has the largest recoverable coal reserves with an estimated 252 billion short tons of coal remaining, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.Learn more:U.S. Coal Resources and AssessmentWorld Coal Quality Inventory

link

Which country has the most coal?

As of January 2020, the United States has the largest recoverable coal reserves with an estimated 252 billion short tons of coal remaining, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.Learn more:U.S. Coal Resources and AssessmentWorld Coal Quality Inventory

Learn More
Image shows a black stone on a gravel pit
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Emissions trading is one example of a market-based solution to an environmental problem. Image credit: Arnold Paul/Gralo via Wik
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Image shows a sample of bituminous coal on a rock backdrop
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Image shows a sample of cannel coal on a rock background
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Image shows a sample of peacock coal against a rock background
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Image shows a sample of anthracite coal on a rock backdrop
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Image shows an excavator in front of a coal seam
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Assessing U.S. coal resources and reserves

The U.S. Coal Resources and Reserves Assessment Project, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program, conducts systematic, geology-based, regional assessments of significant coal beds in major coal basins in the United States. These assessments detail the quantity, quality, location, and economic potential of the Nation’s remaining coal resources and reserves and provide
By
Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

Coal--a complex natural resource : an overview of factors affecting coal quality and use in the United States

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Assessments Evolved: USGS Coal Research in the 21st Century

Although often associated with helping fuel the Nation’s growth during the Industrial Revolution, coal is very much part of our space-age present. In...

Read Article

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  • FAQ
    link
    Image: Pliocene Lignite Coal from BEN Village

    What are the types of coal?

    There are four major types (or “ranks”) of coal. Rank refers to steps in a slow, natural process called “coalification,” during which buried plant matter changes into an ever denser, drier, more carbon-rich, and harder material. The four ranks are:Anthracite: The highest rank of coal. It is a hard, brittle, and black lustrous coal, often referred to as hard coal, containing a high percentage of...

    link

    What are the types of coal?

    There are four major types (or “ranks”) of coal. Rank refers to steps in a slow, natural process called “coalification,” during which buried plant matter changes into an ever denser, drier, more carbon-rich, and harder material. The four ranks are:Anthracite: The highest rank of coal. It is a hard, brittle, and black lustrous coal, often referred to as hard coal, containing a high percentage of...

    Learn More
    link
    Image shows a large black stone with a silver sign in front

    What is coal?

    Coal is a sedimentary deposit composed predominantly of carbon that is readily combustible. Coal is black or brownish-black, and has a composition that (including inherent moisture) consists of more than 50 percent by weight and more than 70 percent by volume of carbonaceous material. It is formed from plant remains that have been compacted, hardened, chemically altered, and metamorphosed by heat...

    link

    What is coal?

    Coal is a sedimentary deposit composed predominantly of carbon that is readily combustible. Coal is black or brownish-black, and has a composition that (including inherent moisture) consists of more than 50 percent by weight and more than 70 percent by volume of carbonaceous material. It is formed from plant remains that have been compacted, hardened, chemically altered, and metamorphosed by heat...

    Learn More
    link

    What is the biggest coal deposit in the United States?

    The biggest coal deposit by volume is the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, which the USGS estimated to have 1.07 trillion short tons of in-place coal resources, 162 billion short tons of recoverable coal resources, and 25 billion short tons of economic coal resources (also called reserves) in 2013. The coal in the Powder River Basin is subbituminous in rank. Large coal deposits can also...

    link

    What is the biggest coal deposit in the United States?

    The biggest coal deposit by volume is the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, which the USGS estimated to have 1.07 trillion short tons of in-place coal resources, 162 billion short tons of recoverable coal resources, and 25 billion short tons of economic coal resources (also called reserves) in 2013. The coal in the Powder River Basin is subbituminous in rank. Large coal deposits can also...

    Learn More
    link
    Image: Coal Burning Power Plant

    Which country has the most coal?

    As of January 2020, the United States has the largest recoverable coal reserves with an estimated 252 billion short tons of coal remaining, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.Learn more:U.S. Coal Resources and AssessmentWorld Coal Quality Inventory

    link

    Which country has the most coal?

    As of January 2020, the United States has the largest recoverable coal reserves with an estimated 252 billion short tons of coal remaining, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.Learn more:U.S. Coal Resources and AssessmentWorld Coal Quality Inventory

    Learn More
  • Multimedia
    Image shows a black stone on a gravel pit
    link
    Emissions trading is one example of a market-based solution to an environmental problem. Image credit: Arnold Paul/Gralo via Wik
    link
    Image shows a sample of bituminous coal on a rock backdrop
    link
    Image shows a sample of cannel coal on a rock background
    link
    Image shows a sample of peacock coal against a rock background
    link
    Image shows a sample of anthracite coal on a rock backdrop
    link
    link
    Image shows an excavator in front of a coal seam
    link
  • Publications

    Assessing U.S. coal resources and reserves

    The U.S. Coal Resources and Reserves Assessment Project, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program, conducts systematic, geology-based, regional assessments of significant coal beds in major coal basins in the United States. These assessments detail the quantity, quality, location, and economic potential of the Nation’s remaining coal resources and reserves and provide
    By
    Energy Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center

    Coal--a complex natural resource : an overview of factors affecting coal quality and use in the United States

  • News
    link

    Assessments Evolved: USGS Coal Research in the 21st Century

    Although often associated with helping fuel the Nation’s growth during the Industrial Revolution, coal is very much part of our space-age present. In...

    Read Article