Which is the most abundantly available fossil fuel in India? Assess the importance of its different forms.
Coal is the most abundantly available fossil fuel in India. Importance of its different forms are as follows
(i) Peat
• Decaying plants in swamps produce peat.
• It is burnt as fuel or applied to the soil to improve the texture or raise its water-retaining property.
(ii) Lignite
• It has 60-70% carbon, brown in colour, soft and having high moisture content.
• It is used for electricity generation.
• It has lowest heat content per kg.
(iii) Bituminous
• It is used for commercial purpose especially ideal for smelting iron in blast furnaces.
• It has 75-90% carbon content, dense sedimentary rock, usually black in colour and has medium heat content per kg.
• It is also used as making coke.
(iv) Anthracite
• It is used in the metal smelting and fabrication industries especially used as a reduction agent for various applications i.e. briquetting charcoal, iron-ore pellets and other uses.
• It has more than 90% carbon content per kg and its heating content per kg is highest.
• It is also used in residential and commercial space heating.