Coal

Coal is a fossil fuel originating as the remains of prehistoric trees, which were long ago buried and transformed over time into a black, rock-like substance. The first fossil fuel to be used in Old World industrialization, coal remained in use until the Collapse. Similar to oil, most easily-accessible reserves of coal were depleted centuries ago; the only significant reserves remaining within North America are those in the domains of the Appalachian Coal Kings. Elsewhere, other deposits can still be found in regions such as Greenland and Antarctica where ice caps once protected them from prior exploitation.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Coal commonly resembles a lumpy grey and not very sturdy rock, found in veins underground. (Though surface veins still exist in Antarctica and Greenland.) Extraction typically requires mining, often with explosives, and is fraught with dangers. Legends say that the people of the Old World even took apart entire mountains to access the coal underneath, the scars of which can be seen to this day in the hills of Appalachia. Other rumors from across the ocean tell of a place in Europe where coal mining caused the ground to sink so much entire cities were swallowed up into a lake.

History & Usage

Industrial Use

Once extracted, coal can be combusted for energy in a manner similar to charcoal or wood. However, since it is a fossil fuel embodying stored energy in the form of sunlight captured millions of years ago, there is no need to first gather energy in some other form and then transform it into something easily combustible--coal can be burned straight from the source for a net energy gain. (Versus other post-Anthropocene fuels like wood gas or methane, which require labor and farmland to capture sunlight and turn it into stored energy. It is this difference and the existence of fossil fuels as a "planetary savings account" which enabled the commanding technological heights of the Old World.)

Hazards

Ground-up coal produces a fine dust which is dangerous to human health and can cause explosions in air. Coal mining itself, both in the Old World and today in the remaining deposits, also has a reputation of being rather unsafe.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Virtually all coal in North America comes from the lands of the Appalachian Coal Kings, who gain their wealth and hold on to their power by the exploitation and sale of the few deposits the Old World never got around to mining. This is dangerous work, the mines often being staffed by captives taken in war with other Appalachian lands or outsiders, while the profits go to the elite. Coal is often used for transport or to power stationary engines, and a small handful of refineries exist which take coal from the Kings and convert it into liquid fuel. Coal fuel has the advantage of not competing with food for arable land, unlike charcoal and wood gas, thus times of famine will often see a fuel price spike as more food and less fuel crops are planted, and the Coal Kings jack up their prices to take advantage.

Type

Biomaterial