Anthracite Coal

We offer a comprehensive range of anthracite coal meticulously graded to meet the specific demands of commercial, industrial, chemical, and manufacturing applications. Anthracite coal, recognized as the highest quality grade of coal due to its dark black appearance, finds primary use in residential and commercial heating, waste treatment, and water filtration systems. Our supply of anthracite coal is characterized by a carbon content spanning 40 to 90%, alongside exceptionally low levels of moisture and volatile matter. The inherent clean-burning properties and high-temperature combustion capabilities of anthracite coal render it an efficient and reliable energy source.

The journey begins in swampy, wetland environments where dense vegetation, including trees, ferns, and mosses, thrived hundreds of millions of years ago (primarily during the Carboniferous period). As this plant matter died and accumulated, it formed layers of organic material. This material, initially known as peat, was then buried under subsequent layers of sediment, such as mud, sand, and rock.

Over vast geological timescales, the increasing pressure from the overlying sediments and the Earth’s internal heat caused a series of physical and chemical changes. This process, known as coalification, progressively transformed the peat into different ranks of coal. As the depth of burial and the intensity of heat and pressure increased, the following transformations occurred:  

1. Peat: The initial stage, consisting of partially decayed plant matter with a low carbon content and high moisture content.
2. Lignite: Further compression and heating drive out more moisture, increasing the carbon concentration. Lignite is a soft, brownish-black coal with a lower energy content.  
3. Sub-bituminous coal: Increased pressure and temperature lead to a higher carbon content and energy value than lignite. It’s a dull black coal.
4. Bituminous coal: Subjected to even greater pressure and heat, bituminous coal becomes denser, blacker, and has a significantly higher carbon content (typically 45-86%). It’s the most abundant type of coal.
5. Anthracite coal: This is the highest rank of coal, formed when bituminous coal undergoes further metamorphism – very low-grade metamorphism involving significant pressure and heat due to deep burial and geological folding. This intense process drastically increases the carbon content, typically ranging from 86% to 98%. Simultaneously, the levels of volatile matter (gases released upon heating) and moisture are significantly reduced.  

In addition to the high concentration of carbon, anthracite coal also contains smaller amounts of other elements and compounds, including:

• Ash: The non-combustible mineral residue that remains after burning, typically ranging from 6% to 16%.
• Moisture: Although the lowest among coal ranks, some moisture (around 5-15%) can still be present.
• Volatile matter: These are hydrocarbons and other gases that are driven off when the coal is heated, and anthracite has the lowest percentage (2-8%).
• Sulfur: Present in varying trace amounts (0.23-1.2%).
• Other trace elements like silica oxide, alumina, and ferric oxide.

Therefore, anthracite coal is essentially a highly concentrated form of naturally transformed plant matter, composed primarily of carbon, resulting from millions of years of geological pressure and heat acting upon accumulated organic material. Its high carbon content and low levels of impurities give it its characteristic hardness, high energy density, and clean-burning properties.   Sources and related content