Coal and petroleum

​What is coal ?

Coal is fossil fuel or fuel that comes from the remains of prehistoric plants or animals. The formation of coal occurs over millions of years via a process known as carbonation. In this process, dead vegetation is converted into carbon-rich coal under very high temperature and pressure.

Coal gas is mainly a mixture of hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide. The gases present in coal gas are combustible.

​Coal gas

​Petroleum

Mineral oil that is found under the ground or sea and is used to make petrol, plastic and other types of chemical substances.

​How coal was formed ?

Coal contains the energy stored by plants that lived hundreds of millions of years ago in swampy forests. Layers of dirt and rock covered the plants over millions of years. The resulting pressure and heat turned the plants into the substance we call coal.

​Fossil fuels

The natural resources which are formed from the dead remains of living organisms (fossils) are all known as fossil fuels. Coal, natural gas and petroleum are examples of fossil fuels.

How petroleum is formed ?

Petroleum, also called crude oil, is a fossil fuel. Like coal and natural gas, petroleum was formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms, such as plants, algae, and bacteria.