Solid fuel purposes, such as refining metals. Coal is the largest source of energy for the generation of electricity worldwide, as well as one of the largest worldwide anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide releases. The extraction of coal, its use in energy production and its byproducts are all associated with environmental and health effects including climate change. Variations such as smokeless coal can be formed naturally in the form of anthracite, a metamorphosed type of coal with a very high carbon content that gives off a smokeless flame when set alight. Coke is a fuel with few impurities and a high carbon
Coal mining in the United Kingdom at ordinary combustion temperatures (i.e. for the oxidation of carbon - see fossil fuels). The last deep coal mine in the UK closed on 18 December 2015. Twenty-six open cast mines still remain open and Banks Mining said in 2018 they planned to start mining a new site in County Durham. The United Kingdom's onshore coal resources occur in rocks of the Carboniferous age, some of which extend under the North Sea. The carbon content of the bituminous coal present in most of the coalfields is 86% to 88%. Britain's coalfields are associated with Northumberland and Durham, North and South