Coal as a fuel

• Coal is a common solid fuel
• It is a non-renewable resource
• It is used as a raw material by industries such as at ZISCO and less commonly as a domestic source of fuel
• Coal was formed by the compacting under pressure large quantities of tropical vegetation that existed about 200 million years ago
• Trees, ferns, weeds and grasses grew near shallow fresh water lakes
• As the plants on the edges of the lakes died they became submerged into the water
• A very slow bacterial process took place and peat was formed
• The pressure of sediment layers deposited on top of these layers peat layers compacted the layers into bituminous coal
• In Zimbabwe most of the coal is mined at Hwange
• Other coal deposits are found at Lumbimbi, Beitbridge, Pehnalonga, Gokwe and near Triangle
• All of Zimbabwe’s coal deposits are bituminous
• This type of coal is ideal for steam raising and making coke

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