Anthracite
Anthracite is the highest rank of coal, appearing as a hard, brittle, shiny black solid with a metallic luster, characterized by its very high carbon content (up to 98%) and low volatile matter, resulting in clean, smokeless, high-heat burning with a blue flame, making it excellent for heating and filtration but rare and expensive.
Key Characteristics:
Appearance: Deep black with a semi-metallic or submetallic luster, sometimes described as dark gray or steel gray.
Hardness & Texture: Very hard, brittle, and clean to the touch, unlike other coals.
Composition: Highest fixed carbon (86-98%) and lowest moisture/volatile matter of all coals, with few impurities.
Combustion: Difficult to ignite but burns with a hot, clean, blue, smokeless flame, producing high energy.
Fracture: Breaks with a conchoidal (shell-like) fracture, creating sharp fragments.
Uses:
Heating: Historically popular for home heating due to clean burning, though less common now.
Water Filtration: Effective filter medium for removing contaminants due to high adsorption.
Industrial: Used in steelmaking as a foaming agent and to produce high-purity graphite for batteries.
Decorative: Can be polished and used in design due to its sleek appearance.
Rarity: It's the rarest form of coal, formed under intense heat and pressure, making it less abundant than bituminous coal.
Key Characteristics:
Appearance: Deep black with a semi-metallic or submetallic luster, sometimes described as dark gray or steel gray.
Hardness & Texture: Very hard, brittle, and clean to the touch, unlike other coals.
Composition: Highest fixed carbon (86-98%) and lowest moisture/volatile matter of all coals, with few impurities.
Combustion: Difficult to ignite but burns with a hot, clean, blue, smokeless flame, producing high energy.
Fracture: Breaks with a conchoidal (shell-like) fracture, creating sharp fragments.
Uses:
Heating: Historically popular for home heating due to clean burning, though less common now.
Water Filtration: Effective filter medium for removing contaminants due to high adsorption.
Industrial: Used in steelmaking as a foaming agent and to produce high-purity graphite for batteries.
Decorative: Can be polished and used in design due to its sleek appearance.
Rarity: It's the rarest form of coal, formed under intense heat and pressure, making it less abundant than bituminous coal.
