Anything that is capable of producing energy in

a form that is useable for producing power is

called fuel.
General Grouping Primary/Natural Fuels Secondary Fuels

Solid Fuel Anthracite Coal, Coke, Charcoal, Coke

Bituminous Coal, Breeze
Lignite, Peat, Wood

Liquid Fuel Petroleum Kerosene, Diesel, Tar,

gasoline

Gaseous Fuel Natural Gas Producer Gas, Coal

Gas, Furnace Gas
 Solid fuel refers to various types of solid material
that are used as fuel to produce energy and provide 
heating, usually released through combustion

 Solid fuels have been used by humanity for

many years to create fire. Coal was the fuel
source which enabled the 
industrial revolution, from firing furnaces, to
running steam engines. Wood was also
extensively used to run steam locomotives.
Both peat and coal are still used in
electricity generation today
 Coal
 Wood
 Charcoal
 Peat
 Solid fuel refers to various types of solid
 material that are used as fuel to produce 
energy and provide heating, usually released
through combustion
 Occurrence of coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock

 normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal
beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite, can be
regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to
elevated temperature and pressure. Coal is composed primarily
of carbon along with variable quantities of other elements, chiefly 
sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Coal begins as layers of
plant matter accumulate at the bottom of a body of water. For the
process to continue the plant matter must be protected from 
biodegradation and oxidization, usually by mud or acidic water.
The wide shallow seas of the Carboniferous 
period provided such conditions. This trapped
atmospheric carbon in the ground in immense 
peat bogs that eventually were covered over and
deeply buried by sediments under which they
metamorphosed into coal. Over time, the
chemical and physical properties of the plant
remains (believed to mainly have been fern-like
species antedating more modern plant and
tree species) were changed by geological action
to create a solid material.
Coal is primarily used as a solid fuel to produce
electricity and heat through combustion
 The major objective of coal liquefaction is to
produce synthetic oil to supplement the
natural sources of petroleum. The first
approach is known as carbonization, and the
second is known as liquefaction.  Coal can
be converted to liquid fuels either by removal
of carbon or addition of hydrogen. Coal
Liquefaction
 Successful demonstrations of advanced
technologies could lead to a new generation of
coal plants that coproduce power, liquid fuels,
chemicals, and/or hydrogen while capturing
and sequestering carbon dioxide
Technologies exist to use coal as feedstock for
production of liquid fuels, chemicals, and
hydrogen  Coal can play key role in ways that
go beyond power Generation  Many complex
energy challenges face America over the next
several decades 
 Coal is useful as a fuel because it is
1. Abundant
2. Has a relatively high heating value.
3. Many manufacturers changed to natural gas
in making their products but are now
switching back to coal because it is less
expensive.
4. Coal is used for many things in addition to
fuel for heating homes or running engines. 
Products left after heating coal are coke and
coal tar
Wood
 -Easily ignitable
 -Smaller pieces more efficiently combustible as
compared with large pieces.
 -Wood fines e.g sawdust burns quite easily and
readily.
 -it can be made into binder less briquettes at high
pressure
 -It burns with large non-smoky flames when burnt
in excess air.
 -Ash formed on surfaces of large pieces prevent its
further burning
 Domestic fuels in many areas of the world
 Furniture making
 To produce wood charcoal by its
carbonization or destructive distillation
 To produce producer gas by its gasification
 Heating of homes in winter
 Making tools for different applications
 As fueling for steam engines, turbines to
generate electricity
 Stages of Carbonization of Wood:
 -When temperature is reached at 100-120 o C, the
moisture of the wood is expelled first.
 -At 275 o C, initial decomposition of wood takes
place resulting in the formation of little distillate
gas containing acetic acid and water.
 -At 350 o C active distillation takes place till the
process is exothermic producing liquid products
(like acetic acid, methyl alcohol, pyroligneous acids
and tar etc).
 -Gaseous products contain carbon monoxide,
carbon dioxide, Nitrogen, Hydrogen and
Hydrocarbons etc
 -From 350-600 o C, slow evolution of residual
volatile matters (i.e gases) from the wood/charcoal
left in the 3 rd stage
 -Solid product left after carbonization is
charcoal.
 -Hot gases are cooled to separate wood gas
and liquid into two layers.
 -Upper layer is pyroliginous acid (aqueous
solution of acetone, methyl alcohol
 -Wood tar can be fractionated into many
chemicals. It is used as supplementary plant
fuel.
 -Matured dense wood gives dense charcoal
on carbonization
 Wood fuel is wood used as fuel.
The burning of wood is currently the largest
use of energy derived from a solid
fuel biomass. Wood fuel can be used
for cooking and heating, and occasionally for
fueling steam engines and
steam turbines that generate electricity.
 Cooking fuel
-Charcoal briquettes are widely used for outdoor
grilling and barbecues in backyards and on
camping trips.
-In many non-industrialized countries, for instance
in Africa , charcoal is used for everyday cooking by
a large portion of the population. This is potentially
a serious health problem when used indoors since
carbon monoxide (CO) is a combustion product.
-Industrial Fuel
-Historically, charcoal was used in great quantities for
smelting iron in bloomeries and later blast furnaces and finery
forges . This use was replaced by coke during the Industrial
Revolution .

 Automotive fuel
 -In times of scarce petroleum, automobiles and
even buses have been converted to burn wood gas
(gas mixture containing primarily carbon monoxide
) released by burning charcoal or wood in a wood
gas generator .
◦ Hard wood is gasified in the presence of steam and
air to make producer gas. This producer gas can be
used as a fuel or for the synthesis of ammonia (by
the removal of Hydrogen from it).
◦ Peat is the first stage in the formation of coal from
wood (cellulose). It is the most immature coal. It
has been formed by the gradual decaying of
vegetable in the moist places.

Uses of Peat
Used as domestic fuel
 Iron smelting-where the carbonaceous fuel is
used for reducing iron ore as well as melting
it.
 Copper smelting-initially carbonaceous fuel

was used for reducing Copper oxides.

 Lead & Zinc Smelting- here also

carbonaceous fuel is added for reducing the

ores & melting them.
 These solid fuels includes:
◦ Wood waste
◦ Bagasse
◦ Agricultural/ Vegetable wastes
◦ Cattle dungs
◦ Dry leaves/ twinges collected from forests
 Advantages Disadvantages
Easy Transportable High ash content
Storage convenience Low thermal efficiency
Production cost is low Combustion operation not
controllable

Moderate ignition temperatures Burns with clinker formation

Comparatively low S content i.e. Handling cost is high
low atmospheric pollution

A large excess of air needed

Calorific values lower than liquid
fuels