Coal is a solid hydrocarbon that burns. As such it can be used in the same way the liquid hydrocarbon, oil, is used as fuel and in the chemical industry.

Fuel is used in:

1. Generating electricity. Eighty-four percent of U.S. coal is burned in electrical generating plants that supply fifty-five percent of our electricity. It takes one pound of coal to generate about one kilowatt-hour of electricity. A single train car of coal (100 tons) lasts on 20 minutes in a medium sized power plant.



2. Making coke for use in steel blast furnaces.
3. The manufacture of synfuels (synthetic natural gas).
4. As a fuel in steam locomotives (now replaced by diesel engines in most parts of the world).
5. Home heating (now replaced primarily by natural gas or propane in the U.S.).