Coking coal
Also called: Metallurgical coal · Topic: Energy Resources of India: Conventional and Non-conventional · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 5 "Minerals and Energy Resources"; Class 10, Ch 6 "Manufacturing Industries"; Class 12, Ch 5 "Mineral and Energy Resources"
Meaning
Coking coal is high-grade bituminous coal. It is also called metallurgical coal. When it is heated without air, it turns into coke, a hard and porous fuel. Blast furnaces need coke to melt iron ore and make steel. India has little coking coal because about 80 per cent of Indian coal is non-coking. As a result, India imports much of its coking coal, mainly from Australia (verify current).
Example
The Jharia coalfield in the Damodar valley (Dhanbad, Jharkhand) is India's largest coalfield and its main source of coking coal. It supplies the steel plants of the north-eastern plateau.
Don't confuse with
- Non-coking (thermal) coal: Most Indian coal is non-coking. It is burnt in thermal power plants to make electricity, not used to make coke. "Most Indian coal is coking" is false.