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What is coal?

Coal is a common fuel used worldwide mainly in the production of electricity. It is used for cooling, heating, powering machines, charging mobile phones and even electric cars. It is used in furnaces to produce metals like steel and can be used in the manufacturing of plastics, explosives, fertilisers, cement, bricks and tiles.

Coal mining in Australia

Coal mining is Australia’s largest export industry providing employment, fuel for energy and steel making and income from exports. It is mined in all Australian states. Queensland and New South Wales have the largest black coal resources and production. Brown coal is only mined in Victoria.

Australia is the world’s largest coal exporter representing 6% of the coal exported worldwide. In 2009-10 black coal was valued at $36.5billion. This represented 54% (or 292.24million tonnes (mt)) of the total 540 mt of coal mined. Fifty four per cent of the total exported was coking coal for use in steel mills mainly in the Asian region. Black coal represented 87.2% of all the coal mined in Australia that year.1

Around 76% of the electricity generated in Australia is from thermal coal with the consumption of coal increasing on average at 5% per year since the 1960s due to the increase in demand for electricity.2 The use of coal for electricity is due to its low cost, relative abundance, its location close to where it is being used and reliability. The electricity generation mix is expected to change with the advent of carbon dioxide (produced by the burning of coal and other fossil fuels) emission reduction schemes and laws requiring electricity generators to source more of their electricity from renewable sources.

How was coal formed?

Coal is a sedimentary rock which formed millions of years ago from plant and mineral material accumulating in large areas of shallow lakes and swamps.

Over time, this plant matter was covered with sediments that formed heavy rock layers. The plant material began to decompose to form spongy material called peat. As the water and gasses were squeezed out by the heavy rock layers above, the peat was heated at great temperatures in the earth and coal began to form, first as brown coal (lignite) and then harder black coals as time went on (anthracite is the oldest type of coal).

The coal formed in layers called seams which can be a few centimetres to 30 metres thick.

The oldest black coals provide the most energy.

1 ABARES (2011) Australian Mineral Statistics March Quarter 2011. 2 ‘Australian Energy Resource Assessment’ (2010) Department of Resources Energy and Tourism.

Coal

OresomeResources - Queensland Resources Council - Minerals and Energy EducationT (07) 3295 9560 F (07) 3295 9570

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How is coal mined?

In Australia, coal is mined by both open cut or surface mining and underground methods.

OPEN CUT METHOD:

In this type of mining the coal is reasonably close to the surface; no deeper than 120 metres.

The surface rock –overburden- covering the coal is blasted and removed by massive draglines with the topsoil being stored for use later in restoring the disturbed land to either natural woodlands or an alternative use e.g. for grazing purposes.

The uncovered coal is blasted to break up the layers and face shovels load the coal into large trucks which can hold up to 300 tonnes of material.

The coal is transported to the processing plant where impurities are removed.

After mining the land is rehabilitated. The pits or voids are progressively filled with the waste material, re-contoured and replanted with vegetation suitable to its post mining use. The final void is often reconstructed to form a lake or dam.

UNDERGROUND METHOD:

Coal too deep to mine from the surface must be mined underground. Some coal is mined by the Bord and Pillar method where a continuous miner –a machine which continually cuts into the coal-cuts tunnels through the coal seams leaving pillars supported by roof bolts to hold up the roof.

Longwall mining uses a large cutting blade which slices across the coal layer to remove the coal seam. The coal is then transported to the surface on a conveyor belt. After the coal is mined the machine is dismantled and relocated to another section of the mine allowing the roof to collapse behind. Advances in technology have now introduced automated longwall mining mechanisms into the system.

Image courtesy of Tyson Stelzer and Ensham Resources.

Image courtesy of BMA.

How is coal processed?

Coal is crushed, screened and sorted according to customer requirements. It is washed to remove any pieces of waste rock that do not burn like shale. The coal then undergoes the froth flotation process where it is placed into tanks with liquids and reagents which assist in recovering more of the coal as it floats to the surface. The coal is then dewatered and left to dry out. It is then stored according to size and may be blended, again according to customer specifications. From there it is stockpiled or stored in bins ready for transport by road or rail.

What are the uses of coal?

There are two major types of coal, coking coal and thermal (or steaming) coal.

Coking coal is used to make coke, which is an ingredient in steel production. The steel is used in millions of items such as cars, trucks, fire engines, refrigerators and bridges, such as the Story Bridge and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Thermal coal is used to provide heat energy. Its main use is in power stations where the heat is used to make steam, used to spin turbines and generate electricity.

Electricity is required to operate all electrical appliances such as fridges, hairdryers and mobile devices.

Coal is also an important ingredient in plastics, explosives, dyes, pitch, ammonia, medicines, aspirin, soap, disinfectant, detergents, nylons, cosmetics, synthetic rubber, fertilizers, cement, bricks and tiles.

OresomeResources - Queensland Resources Council - Minerals and Energy EducationT (07) 3295 9560 F (07) 3295 9570

Level 13 133 Mary St Brisbane, Queensland 4000 – www.oresomeresources.com

Last updated July 2011.

Coal in Queensland Quick Facts:

33 billion tonnes of identified coal in situ.11 billion tonnes is coking coal.Bowen Basin contains nearly all of Queensland’s coking coal and is the largest source of export coal.Callide, Clarence Moreton, Tarong and Surat basins are sources of thermal coal (for electricity).Coal is exported from Abbot Point, Brisbane, Dalrymple Bay, Gladstone and Hay Point terminals. Coal exports for 2009-2010 were 183 million tonnes with a value of $24 billion and exported to 32 countries. This represented 125mt of metallurgical coal, 58mt thermal coal.42 operating open-cut mines.12 underground mines (total 54)3

3Queensland Resources Council acknowledges Queensland Mines and Energy as the source of this information.

Coal mining in Queensland

Coal is exported from Queensland ports to many countries across the world. The top 10 countries are identified in the tables below:

Top Ten Exports by Country - All Coal

Country 2009-2010

Japan 57,320,200

China 30,832,592

India 28,138,236

Korea 22,585,969

Taiwan 13,925,437

Brazil 5,116,628

Netherlands 3,955,661

United Kingdom 3,649,363

France 2,417,650

Italy 1,827,883

Source: Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Queensland Mines and Energy 2011.