Coal in Indiana

Maria MastalerzIndiana Geological Survey, IU

Some facts about coal in Indiana

• Indiana is among top ten (7) coal producing states, averaging 35,000,000 tons of coal each year;

• About 12-15 coal companies operate ~25 mines;• Coal industry supports more than 2,500 jobs, adding more

than $750 million yearly to Indiana economy;

• Indiana uses ~80,000,000 tons of coal a year;• Close to 90% of electricity in Indiana comes from coal

What is coal?Coal is a sedimentary rock, composed of lithified plant

remains, which has the distinction of being a combustible material .

What is coal?1) Coal is a function of three distinct processes:

1) Deposition, preservation, and alteration of organic matter from various kingdoms of life

• Roots, shoots, seeds, pollen, leaves, etc, of plants• Algae • Interactions with fungus, bacteria, insects, etc.

2) Incorporation of mineral matter3) Coalification ─ maturation by heat & pressure over time

• Heat is generally most important ─ excessive pressure is inhibitive to the coalification process

• The level of maturation/ coalification is expressed as coal rank

From Scotese, 2001

Pennsylvanian Paleogeography

Coal Production in Indiana

In 2010, Indiana produced 33.72 million tons of coal. In 2011 it was 37.26 million tons. About 56% of production was from approximately 22 surface mines, and 44% was from 6 underground mines.

Indiana coal production 1879-2011(in short tons -907.2 kg)

0

5,000,000

10,000,000

15,000,000

20,000,000

25,000,000

30,000,000

35,000,000

40,000,000

1879 1889 1899 1909 1919 1929 1939 1949 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999 2009

Sho

rt To

ns

Underground Surface Total

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

35.00

40.00

45.00

50.00

Underground coal production(in % of total)

Coal Consumption in Indiana

-

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

[Tho

usan

d of

shor

t ton

s]

Import of coal to Indiana

Import 2004

Import 2007

Import 2010

-

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

[Tho

usan

d of

shor

t ton

s]

Export of Indiana coal

Export 2004

Export 2007

Export 2010

-

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

Distribution of Indiana coal (in thousand short tons)

Total Indiana production

Used in Indiana

Exported to other states

-

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

[Tho

usan

d of

shor

t ton

s]

Year

Coal consumption in Indiana 1960-2010

Total consumption *

Electricity

Industrial **

Residentail and commercial ***

Coal Geology

~21 TCFof CBM

Illinois Indiana W. Kentucky

Mattoon Fm.

Bond Fm.

Patoka Fm.

Danville (No.7)JamestownHerrin (No.6)

Springfield (No.5)

Houchin Creek

Survant

Colchester (No.2)DekovenDavis

Willis

Reynoldsburg

Gentry

Cas

eyvi

lleFm

.Tr

adew

ater

Fm.

Rac

oon

Cre

ekG

roup

Rac

oon

Cre

ekG

roup

Car

bond

ale

Fm.

Shel

burn

Fm.

McL

eans

boro

Gp.

McL

eans

boro

Gp.

Car

bond

ale

Gro

up

Mattoon Fm.

Bond Fm.

Patoka Fm.

Shelburn Fm.

Danville (VII)Hymera (VI)HerrinBucktown (Vb)Springfield (V)

Houchin Creek

Survant (IV)

Colchester (IIIa)

Seelyville (III)

Unnamed StauntonFm coals

Minshall Buffaloville

Upper Block

Lower BlockMariah HillBlue Creek

PinnickSt. Meinrad

French Lick

Rac

oon

Cre

ekG

roup

Cas

eyvi

lleTr

adew

ater

Fm.

Car

bond

ale

Fm.

Shel

burn

Fm.

Mattoon Fm.

Bond Fm.

Patoka Fm.

Baker (No.13)Paradise (no.12)Herrin (no.11)

Springfield (No.9)

Houchin Creek

Survant (No.8)

Colchester Dekoven (No.7)Davis (No.6)

(Mining City) No.4Empire

Lead Creek/Dunbar

Elm Lick

(Ice House) No.3FosterAmosBell

Battery RockNolin M

orro

wan

Ato

kan

Des

moi

nesi

anM

issou

rian

Virg.

Man

sfie

ldFm

.B

razi

lFm

.St

aunt

onFm

.Li

nton

Fm.

Pete

rsbu

rgFm

.D

ugge

rFm

.

McL

eans

boro

Gro

up

Penn

sylv

ania

n

peat

lignite

sub-bituminous

high vol. bit.

medium vol. bit.

low vol. bit.

semianthracite

anthracite

metanthracite

Ro (%)

0.25

0.38

1.1

1.5

1.9

2.8

5.0

C

B

ACBA

0.48

Availability of the coal

Depth of the coal

Thickness of the coal

Availability of the coal

Coal properties

The properties of coal are function of:

1) The composition of organic fraction2) The composition of non-organic

(mineral matter) 3) The coalification level – the coal rank

peat

lignite

sub-bituminous

high vol. bit.

medium vol. bit.

low vol. bit.

semianthracite

anthracite

metanthracite

Ro (%)

0.25

0.38

1.1

1.5

1.9

2.8

5.0

C

B

ACBA

0.48

Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Coal

• Physical properties• Coal quality• Ash chemistry• Trace elements• Coal rank and petrographic composition• Methane and Carbon Dioxide sorption

Sulfur content (weight %)

Sulfur content (lb/mln Btu)

Heating value (Btu/lb)

USGS Fact Sheet FS-095-01, September 2001

During coal combustion mercury is volatilized and large part of it is captured in fly ash and some part is emitted to the atmosphere

Mercury directly emitted from power plants generally is NOT considered harmful.

But in the natural environment Hg can go through a series of chemical transformations that convert elemental Hg to a highly toxic form – methylmercury – that is concentrated in fish and birds.

Mercury enters the food chain.

Cases of mercury poisoning have been documented in people who eat contaminated fish for prolonged periods (?).

Trace elements: Mercury

CoalCombustion

vaporization

Hg0

CatalyticOxidation

Hg0 (g)

Hg (p) species

HgCl2HgOHgSO4HgS

HgCl2 (g)

Hg2+ (g)

Chlorination

Post-combustion

Sorption

Ash formation

Fate of Hg

in combustion

MERCURY ASSOCIATIONS IN COAL SPRINGFIELD COAL FROM WARRICK COUNTY

RAW

FLOAT

RAWFLOAT

RAW

FLOAT

RAWFLOAT

RAW

FLOAT

0 - 310 - 31

31 - 4031 - 40

43 - 83

43 - 83

83 - 11483 - 114

114 - 152 114 - 152

Hg (mg/kg)

cm[ ] 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3

10 11 12 13 14 15

Hg (mg/kg)

Ash dry (%)

0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3

0 - 31

31 - 40

43 - 83

83 - 114

114 - 152

0 - 31

31 - 40

43 - 83

83 - 114

114 - 152

0 2 4 6 8

cm[ ]cm[ ]

weight (%)

Sulfur (%)

Hg Ash Pyritic sulfur Total sulfur

A large portion of Hg is associated with pyrite.Hg content is reduced

during washing by 55 %.

Danville

Hymera

Springfield

Seelyville

Upper Block

00.02

0.040.06

0.080.1

0.120.14

Mercury (ppm)

Mercury in Indiana coals

Mercury concentration in in-ground coal on an equal-energy basis (lb/ 1012 Btu).

In Indiana

X=9.2 raw

5.2 float

Trace elements: Chlorine

Danville Coal

The concentrations of numerous trace elements decrease significantly as a result of washing.

Cd Hg Se 0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2CoalWashed product

As Cr Pb0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70CoalWashed product

In ppm, whole coal basis

Total coal

alkali %Na2O+0.6589(%K2O) x 90 ash/100

Total base Fe2O3+CaO+ MgO+K2O+Na2O

Base/acid

ratio

(Fe2O3+CaO+MgO+

K2O+Na2O)/(SiO2+TiO2+Al2O3)

Silica/alumina

ratio SiO2/Al2O3

Silica ratio SiO2/(SiO2+Fe2O3+CaO+MgO)

Slagging

index Base/acid ratio x %S

Fouling index Base/acid ratio x Na2O

Mineral matter in coal

Parameter Optimal Remarks

Ash content (%) less than 12.5 12.5% ash considered lesssuitable

SiO2/Al2O3 1.9-2.2 <1.9 and >2.2 consideredless suitable

Silica ratio less than 0.70 >0.70 considered lesssuitable

Fe2O3 +CaO (%in ash) 15-35 <15 and >35 considered less

suitable

Slag viscosity T(oF) less than 2550 >2550 considered less

suitable

Mineral matter in coal – parameters significant for Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)

Maps showing suitability of the Springfield Coal for IGCC

OPT – optimalLS – less suitable

Maps showing suitability of the Springfield Coal for IGCC

OPT – optimalLS – less suitable

Maps showing grading of the Springfield Coal for IGCC and availability for surface mining

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Combination of grading and availability for underground mining of the Springfield Coal

• It is in-situ gasification of the coal

• Injection and production wells are drilled and linked together in a coal seam.

• Air or oxygen is injected and the coal is ignited in a controlled way.

• The gasification process produces primarily H2, CO, CH4 and CO2.

• The produced gas flows to the surface where it is processed and utilized.

Image: UCG Engineering, Ltd.,  http://www.coal‐ucg.com

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)

Thickness, Depth and Infrastructure

46

Springfield Coal Member Seelyville Coal Member 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Coalbed gas content

16S rRNA study of coal water and methanogenic enrichment: dominant methanogen - CO2/H2 utilizing Methanocorpusculum

SEM image of the CO2-reductionmethanogenic enrichment

(Methanocorpusculum)

Strąpoć et al., 2008, AEM

CO2 storage from 1.6 to 4.6 billion t (1.8 to 5.1 billion tons) in Illinois Basin coal

- 164 mln tons a year from stationary sources in Indiana

- Gibson Station emits ~ 22 mlnCO2 a year (3100 MW capacity) – 660 mlnfor 30 years

- Edwardsport Gasification – 4.5 mln a year(630 MW capacity) – 150 mln for 30 years

90 mln tons of CO2 storage inIndiana (~3%)

CO2 sequestration

70-280 billion m3 (2.4-9.8 tcf) of CH4 is potentially recoverable as a result of CO2 ECBM practices

in the Illinois Basin

Total recoverable ECBM and CO2 storage per acre of the coal increasestowards the deeper areas of the basin,where there are more coal seams and the total coal thickness is largest

~0.15 tcf of CH4 in Indiana

Availability of Coal Reserves in Indiana

• Indiana had approximately 59.5 billion short tons of original coal resources

• Available for mining is 17.5 billion (~30%)• Available for surface: ~ 2 billion

for underground ~ 16 billion

• Coal produced in Indiana so far: 2,124,417,385 tons (2 billion)

Rate of Recovery

• Continue to mine ~30 million tons per year, all that is available (~17 billion tons) is mined in approximately 500 years.

• However, only 2.1 billion is available for surface mining – 70 year supply if surface mined only

• Currently ~44% Indiana production comes from underground mines.

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