Chapter: Coal and Petroleum

Subject: Science
Class: VIII

9910725407; 9315421045

SCIENCE
CHAPTER 05: COAL AND PETROLEUM
(Notes; Version 2.0; Updated on 09.05.2023)

Natural Resources - Those resources which are taken from nature are known as natural
resources.
Types of Natural Resources

Exhaustible Non-Exhaustible
Resources Resources

These resources are present in They are in limited amount and it can
unlimited amount in nature and are not be exhausted by human activities.
likely to be exhausted by human Ex- forest, minerals, coal etc.
activities. Ex- sunlight, air, soil.

Fossil Fuel - Some of the exhaustible natural resources like coal, petroleum, etc. are formed
by the dead remains of the living organisms. These kinds of resources are known as fossil fuels.

COAL PETROLEUM

COAL
Coal is a hard, black combustible mineral that consists mainly of carbon. It is found in the deep
coal mines under the surface of earth mainly. India’s coal reserves are mainly found in the
states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.

Opencast Coal
Mine
Chapter: Coal and Petroleum
Subject: Science
Class: VIII

9910725407; 9315421045

Formation of Coal
Coal was formed by decomposition of large plants and trees buries under the earth about 300
million years ago. Due to high pressure and high temperature inside the earth, and in the
absence of air, the wood of buried forest plants and trees was slowly converted into coal. The
slow process by which the dead plants buried deep under the earth have become coal is
called Carbonization. Since coal was formed from the remains of plants, therefore, coal is
called a fossil fuel.

Uses of Coal
• It is used as fuel in home and industry
• It is used as heat source to cook food, to produce steam to run train and other engines,
in thermal power plants to produce electricity etc.
• It is used to make coal gas which is important industrial fuel
• It is used to make Coke

Coal mainly consists of Carbon but it also contains other elements like Hydrogen, Nitrogen,
Sulphur and Oxygen. Coal when burnt in air produces carbon dioxide gas. The amount of
carbon content in it determines the quality of coal and the amount of heat energy generated
by it when burnt. On this basis there are four different varieties of coal:
(i) Anthracite
(ii) Bituminous
(iii) Lignite
(iv) Peat
Chapter: Coal and Petroleum
Subject: Science
Class: VIII

9910725407; 9315421045

World coal reserves are depleting rapidly and that’s why it needs to be conserved. Different
governments therefore regulates the coal reserves available at respective locations. Major
concentration of coal deposits are in USA, Russia and China.
Chapter: Coal and Petroleum
Subject: Science
Class: VIII

9910725407; 9315421045
Chapter: Coal and Petroleum
Subject: Science
Class: VIII

9910725407; 9315421045

Destructive Distillation of Coal

The process of heating coal in the absence of air is called the destructive distillation of coal.
Coal contains a number of elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur.
When coal is heated at 1000℃-1400℃ in the absence of air, a number of products are
obtained i.e. coke, coal tar, coal gas and ammonium liquor.

Some products made from coals are:

(a) Coke - It is tough, porous and black colour substance. It is the purest form of carbon. It is
used in manufacturing of steel, extraction of many metals, etc.
(b) Coal Tar - It is thick black colour liquid having unpleasant smell. It is a mixture of about
200 substances. The by-products obtained from coal tar are used in manufacturing of
synthetic dyes, drugs, explosives, perfumes, etc. Interestingly, naphthalene balls used to
repel moths and other insects are also obtained from coal tar.
(c) Coal Gas - It is obtained during the coal is processed to obtain the coke. Its major
constituent is Hydrogen (38-55%) and rest includes Methane gas (CH4), Carbon monoxide
(CO) and Nitrogen (N2). Coal gas was used for street lighting for the first time in London in
1810 and in New York around 1820. Nowadays, as other efficient sources of energy have
been discovered, it’s use has been restricted.

PETROLEUM
Petroleum is a complex mixture of large organic compounds of different types. It is derived
from two words - Petra means “rock” and Oleum means “oil”. It is also called as Crude oil or
Black gold. It is the dark oily liquid and has unpleasant smell. It contains many constituents
like petroleum gas, petrol, diesel, lubricating oil, paraffin wax, etc. It was formed in the same
way as Coal was formed.
Chapter: Coal and Petroleum
Subject: Science
Class: VIII

9910725407; 9315421045

Petroleum Refining Process

Refining is the process of separating the
various constituents of petroleum and it is
carried out in a petroleum refinery.
Chemical compounds are separated by
heating them to a temperature at which
one or more fractions of the mixture will
vaporize. It is called as Fractional
Distillation.

Crude oil is heated to 400℃ and fed into

fractionating column wherein the
compounds with low-boiling points are
collected at the bottom of the tower while
the compounds with high boiling points get
collected in the upper chambers of the
tower. They are then condensed and
separated from the tower.
Chapter: Coal and Petroleum
Subject: Science
Class: VIII

9910725407; 9315421045

Different constituents of petrol and their uses

NATURAL GAS
Natural Gas mainly consists of Methane (CH4). It is clean fuel and is highly inflammable. It is
very important fossil fuel because it is easy and convenient to send it through pipes. In our
country, natural gas has been found in Tripura, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra and in the Krishna
Godavari delta.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)

When natural gas is stored under high pressure
it is termed as CNG. It is considered as an ideal
fuel because:
• It causes less pollution and burns with a
blue smokeless flame
• It doesn’t leave ash after burning
• It has high calorific value (55 KJ/ g)
• It can be used directly at homes and
factories for burning and other
purposes as it can be easily be
transported through pipes.

Uses
• As domestic and industrial fuel
• For obtaining hydrogen on industrial scale

• For manufacturing of carbon black

Carbon Black is formed by incomplete

combustion of coal. It is used for
strengthening of rubber in tyres.
Chapter: Coal and Petroleum
Subject: Science
Class: VIII

9910725407; 9315421045

Application
• It is used as fuel in automobiles.
• It is used as a starting material for manufacturing of many chemicals and fertilizers.
• It is used as a starting material for manufacturing chemicals and fertilizers.

LIMITATIONS OF NATURAL RESOURCES

• Limited supply of petroleum products and rapidly increasing demands may cause Energy
Crisis in near future;
• Excessive mining of coal may lead to minor earthquakes;
• Air pollution (release of excessive CO2, CO) is caused due to the burning of fossil fuel
which is responsible for the problems associated with the global warming.

CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Some preventive measures to save fuels by Petroleum Conservation Research Association
(PCRA) are:
• Drive vehicles at constant and moderate speed;
• Switch off the engine at traffic lights or at a place while waiting;
• Maintain correct tyre pressure;
• Use LED lights instead of conventional bulbs;
• Servicing of vehicle at regular intervals;
• Follow – 3R rule – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.