What is absent when coal is formed?

The correct answer to this question is hydrogen. Coal is formed from geological processes. Examples of these geological processes are plant materials or dead animals. Coal is combustible, and it mainly comes in color black. However, it can also come in other colors, such as dark red.

The color of the coal will depend on how the coal is made. The main use of coal is to make heat. For example, people use coal to start fires, and if a person is in the woods, they can use coal as a way to cook food. Coal is not to be confused with charcoal.

Coal is a sedimentary rock that is created from the buildup and conservation of plant material. This creation takes place in a swamp environment. Coal is one of the three most important fossil fuels, along with oil and natural gas, and the primary use of coal is the generation of electricity.

Coal forms through an intricate process, in the swamp, and with the absence of oxygen. When a plant perishes and falls into the swamp, it is protected from decay, which occurs when there is oxygen; however, there is no oxygen in swamp water. The plant debris does not breakdown and is not eaten by organisms because of the oxygen-deficient environment.

The cycle continues with the plants dying, falling into the swamp, stacking up, and compressed by the weight of mud or sand that washes into the swamp. It takes thousands of years for the plant life to die, accumulate, compact, and become coal.

The material that is absent when coal is formed is water. There are different components that are needed to form coal. You would need hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. These are components that are also readily available when creating water which explains why water can only be formed when there are hydrogen and oxygen.

Since carbon is already present, however, water will not be present anymore. If water is available, then it will be impossible for carbon to form. Take note that there are some components that are similar between coal and diamonds.

Scientists believe the formation of coal is due to the decay of huge plants that once lived in swamp forests. The decay of these huge plants and remains of animals over the years resulted in the formation of some layers, which later turned to coal due to the physical and chemical changes caused by increased temperature and pressure.

However, all the processes that led to the formation of coal happened in the absence of Oxygen. This explanation can also be given to the formation of oil and gas deposits. Also, the process of refining coal must be done in the absence of air. This process is known as the destructive distillation of coal.

The process is done in the absence of oxygen to ensure that more products are obtained. Examples of substances that can be gotten from the destructive distillation of coal are coke, petroleum, coal gas, coal tar, etc.