Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

coal

(Encyclopedia)coal, fuel substance of plant origin, largely or almost entirely composed of carbon with varying amounts of mineral matter. Coal is found in beds or seams interstratified with shales, clays, sands...

coal gas

(Encyclopedia)coal gas, gas obtained in the destructive distillation of soft coal, as a byproduct in the preparation of coke. Its composition varies, but in general it is made up largely of hydrogen and methane wit...

coal mining

(Encyclopedia)coal mining, physical extraction of coal resources to yield coal; also, the business of exploring for, developing, mining, and transporting coal in any form. Coal has been historically important indus...

coal tar

(Encyclopedia)coal tar, product of the destructive distillation of bituminous coal. Coal tar can be distilled into many fractions to yield a number of useful organic products, including benzene, toluene, xylene, na...

brown coal

(Encyclopedia)brown coal: see lignite.

cannel coal

(Encyclopedia)cannel coal: see coal.

bituminous coal

(Encyclopedia)bituminous coal: see coal.

underground coal mining

(Encyclopedia)underground coal mining: see coal mining. ...

European Coal and Steel Community

(Encyclopedia)European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), 1st treaty organization of what has become the European Union; established by the Treaty of Paris (1952). It is also known as the Schuman Plan, after the Fren...

Ekibastuz

(Encyclopedia)Ekibastuz ĕkēbästo͝osˈ [key], city, N Kazakhstan. It is the industrial center of a bituminous ...