Lignite
Also called: Brown coal · Topic: Energy Resources of India: Conventional and Non-conventional · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 5 "Minerals and Energy Resources"; Class 12, Ch 5 "Mineral and Energy Resources"
Meaning
Lignite is a low-grade, soft brown coal. It holds a lot of moisture and has little carbon, so it gives less heat than bituminous coal. It ranks just above peat in the order of coal grades. Lignite is not worth carrying far, so power stations are built right at the mines. These are called pithead power stations.
Example
Neyveli in Cuddalore district (Tamil Nadu) has India's largest lignite deposit. Lignite is also found in Puducherry, Gujarat (Kutch, Bhavnagar), Rajasthan (Barmer, Bikaner) and Jammu and Kashmir.
Don't confuse with
- Tertiary coal: Both are younger and lower in carbon than Gondwana coal. However, Tertiary coal of the North-East (Meghalaya, Assam) is not lignite. It is mainly known for its high sulphur content.
- Peat: Peat is the stage before lignite. It is decaying swamp plant matter with even less carbon and more moisture.