Question:
Differentiate between Coal and Coke:-
Coal
1. It is a Primary Fuel.
2. It is a readily combustible black
or brownish-black sedimentary
rock.
3. The energy density of coal is
roughly 24 Mega joules per
kilogram and in terms of kWh the
energy density of coal is 6.67
kW*hours/kg
4. Coal usually contains a
considerable amount of incidental
moisture, which is the water
trapped within the coal in between
the coal particles. Coals are
usually mined wet and may be
stored wet to prevent
spontaneous combustion, so the
carbon content of coal is quoted
as both a 'as mined' and on a
'moisture free' basis.
5. Coal has 0.4 times greater
density as Coke has.
6. Low quality coals, like
Bituminous Coal contain smoke-
producing constituents. The
presence of these contents makes
them unsuitable for domestic
stoves and the furnaces launched
near living areas.
Bituminous Coal results in a large
amount of smoke.
Coke
1. It is a Secondary Fuel.
2. Coke from coal is grey, hard,
and porous. Coke is a solid
carbonaceous leftover derived from
destructive distillation of low-ash,
low-sulfur bituminous coal.
3. Coke has Better Calorific
Value than coal. The energy
density of coke is roughly 24.8
million Btu/ton (29.6 MJ/kg).
4. The volatile constituents of the
coal, including water, coal-gas and
coal-tar, are driven off by baking in
an oven without air at
temperatures as high as 1,000 °C
(1,832 °F) so that the fixed carbon
and residual ash are fused
together.
In that scene Coke has better yield
of energy as volatile compounds
have been removed.
5. Coke typically has a specific
gravity between 1.85 and 1.9. It is
highly porous, and a mass of coke
has 40% greater volume than the
equivalent mass of coal.
6. Since the smoke-producing
constituents are driven off during
the coking of the coal, coke forms
a desirable fuel for stoves and
furnaces in which conditions are
not suitable for the complete
burning of bituminous coal itself.
Coke may be burned with little or
no smoke under combustion
But Coke may Burn without conditions which would result in a
smoke. large amount of smoke if
bituminous coal were the fuel.

7. Coal can not be used directly as 7. Coke is used as a fuel and as a

a reducing agent in smelting iron reducing agent in smelting iron ore
ore in a blast furnace, as the in a blast furnace.
volatile compounds present in coal
will cause to form foam and more
slag.
8. Byproducts of Coking (this
conversion of coal to coke) include
coal tar, ammonia, light oils, and
"coal-gas".
9. Bituminous coal must meet a
set of criteria for use as coking
coal, determined by particular coal
assay techniques. These include
moisture content, ash content,
sulfur content, volatile content,
tar, and plasticity.