Coal Mining at Hwange. Image credit chronicle.co.zw

Coal Mining at Hwange. Image credit chronicle.co.zw

ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: Coal fuel

  • Coal is a common solid fuel
  • It is a non-renewable resource
  • It is used as a raw material by industries such as at ZISCO and less commonly as a domestic source of fuel
  • Coal was formed by the compacting under pressure large quantities of tropical vegetation that existed about 200 million years ago
  • Trees, ferns, weeds and grasses grew near shallow fresh water lakes
  • As the plants on the edges of the lakes died they became submerged into the water
  • A very slow bacterial process took place and peat was formed
  • The pressure of sediment layers deposited on top of these layers peat layers compacted the layers into bituminous coal
  • In Zimbabwe most of the coal is mined at Hwange
  • Other coal deposits are found at Lumbimbi, Beitbridge, Pehnalonga, Gokwe and near Triangle
  • All of Zimbabwe’s coal deposits are bituminous
  • This type of coal is ideal for steam raising and making coke

To access more topics go to the Combined Science Notes page.