The primary use of coal is as fuel. Although it k now used less as a domestic heating fuel, many power stations around the world use coal to drive their generators. Coal is also used to produce other products. Coke is a form of processed coal used in blast furnaces to make metals. It is made by heating coal without air, a process that removes ammonia and coal tar. These two products can then be processed into other chemicals to make products such as pesticides, paints and medicines.
Coal is primarily used as fuel to generate electric power in the United States. The coal is burned and the heat given off is used to convert water into steam, which drives a turbine. In 2012, about 39 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 coal can also be used for metallurgical processes, like forging steel, smelting metals, or even in smelting sands, which are used to cast metal. Finally, coal can be burned to provide heat for individual homes. More information on how coal forms, and uses of coal
More seriously, these three main uses of coal result in the fact that it is not only an energy for “emerging” countries, but also… an energy for (very) rich countries, because the latter also have coal fired power plants and steel mills. As an example, a breakdown of the CO2 emissions by sector for the US, now only the “second” greenhouse gases emitter in the world will prove it better than a long speech.
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