Yet Another Ash Related Question

Post by **fifthg** » Mon. Dec. 24, 2012 8:19 pm

Buy good clean coal at Gale Mining co,and if you insist on shale or rock in it,dig it up in your own backyard for free,but don't be fool enough to pay 150 or 175 per ton for it!!!

rrtaylor · Post by **rrtaylor** » Thu. Dec. 27, 2012 9:05 am

The three most important constituent of coal are ash (inerts), volatiles (gas contained in the coal i.e. hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen) and fixed carbon. If you add the percentage of each you should come very close to 100%. In regards to the never ending mystery of red vs. white ash; mineral analysis of the ash will reveal that silicon dioxide (SiO2) will be 50-58% of the ash, aluminum oxide (Al2O3) will be 29-32% of the ash and iron oxide (Fe2O3) will be 4-8% of the ash. A higher ash coal that contans a higher percentage of Fe2O3 will most likely have a reddish colored ash. FYI - Lehigh is NOT washing bank material. All coal sold comes from either the mammoth, forty foot, primrose or orchard veins.

SteveZee · Post by **SteveZee** » Thu. Dec. 27, 2012 10:59 am

lsayre wrote:Not having grown up around coal, what is bank coal?

Post by **Rob R.** » Thu. Dec. 27, 2012 11:06 am

Rob R. wrote:"Bank coal" usually refers to coal that was previously mined and discarded (often left in huge piles, or 'banks') because the size was not in demand, or because the quality was not what they were looking for. For a long time, hand-fired equipment was the only game in town...so rice & buckwheat had no market. I am surprised that there is even much of it still around, considering the co-gen plants that burn it and the market for the smaller sizes.

mattcoalburner wrote:Bank coal is just what it says, It is coal that was considered scrap years ago and dumped on the side of a bank or hill. Years ago the smaller coal (rice and barley) and some of the larger junk coal were placed on the bank beacause they were not premium coal. Rice was not used in the railroad or steel industy, it wasnt even used in home heatng until many years later when boiler manufacturers decided to develop a use for it. So it sat on the banks sometimes at deserted mine pits, and old wash yards. It is now being blended with fresly mined coal. Same hold true with silt, no use for it until congeneration was developed. I hope this helps.