Coal is made from plants.

According to scientists, between 380 and 245 million years ago the earth was very damp and swampy. Plant life thrived in this wet world. Through the passing of time, layer upon layer of decomposing vegetable matter formed peat the same spongy moss-like substance found in peat bogs today. As the millennia passed, the peat layers became compressed and fossilized, and eventually turned into the combustible rock we call coal. 2. Aspirin is made from coal. Acetylsalicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin, was originally extracted from the bark of the white willow tree. It relieved pain but irritated the mouth and stomach. In 1897 a chemist named Felix Hoffman was working for Freidrich Bayer and Company making dyes from coal tar. He discovered that a waste product of the dye process was a stable form of acetylsalicylic acid. Unlike white willow bark, the chemically produced compound relieved pain without side effects. Today, coal tar is the primary source of acetylsalicylic acid. Other medical uses of coal include topical treatments for eczema, dermatitis and other skin disorders, and carbon is used in the filters of kidney dialysis machines.

3. Carbon fiber, sometimes referred to as the wonder polymer is made from coal.
Carbon fiber is extremely strong yet extremely light in weight. It is stronger and lighter than fiber glass. Carbon fiber is used in aerospace applications including airplane wings and spacecraft heat shields. It is used in the bodies of high performance race cars, boats, and mountain bikes. Tennis rackets, fishing rods and baseball bats are made from carbon fiber. Orthopedic surgeons utilize carbon fiber components in joint and bone replacements.

4. Coal has been used as fuel throughout human history.

There is archaeological evidence of coal used as fuel by ancient Romans in 100 AD. Around 1300, Hopi Indians in North America used coal as fuel for cooking and for firing pottery kilns. In England in the 1700s coal became the fuel of choice since it was cleaner and more efficient to burn than wood charcoal. With the industrial revolution of the 1800s, coal fuel became irreplaceable.

5. Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel available today.

Coal deposits are more plentiful than petroleum oil or natural gas. Every continent has coal reserves. The largest deposits are found in the United States, Russia, China, India and Australia. Based on current consumption levels, there is enough coal available to meet demand for nearly 150 years. If consumption levels decrease as a result of improved efficiencies, the coal reserves could meet needs for over 400 years.

Many civil engineering projects require the use of in-situ 'fill' material. In-situ density test is vital information source for such projects. Whenever soil is placed as an engineering fill it is usually compacted to a dense state to obtain

satisfactory engineering properties. Compaction on site is usually effected by mechanical means such as rolling, ramming or vibrating. Control of compaction is necessary to achieve a satisfactory result at a reasonable cost. Laboratory compaction tests provide the basis for control procedures used on site. Type of tests -Proctor Penetrometer -Sand Replacement -Sand Cone -Balloon Density Apparatus -Core-Cutter Apparatus