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Abstract

Though the fuel is now far less familiar a sight than it was a generation ago, coal is well known as a blackish rock hewn out of the depths of the earth or — if we are luckier — from near the surface. Rich in carbon, this rock is combustible. It is not a single mineral but a range of natural solids varying in composition. The complete range is broadly taken to extend from peat, through brown coal, lignite and bituminous coal to anthracite.

‘… used strategically … as the raw input for the production of synthetic liquid and gaseous fuels … coal would serve as a bridge to a future world built around non-depletable energy sources’

Energy in a finite world. Report of a 7-year study by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

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© 1985 Diana Schumacher

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Schumacher, D. (1985). Coal. In: Energy: Crisis or Opportunity?. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-17797-4_4

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