Conventional Sources of Energy

Nearly 300 million years ago, the earth had very dense forests in low-lying wetland regions. These dense forests were buried under the soil because of natural procedures like flooding. As more soil was deposited over them, they were condensed and compressed. As they sank deeper and deeper, the temperature rose as well. Dead plants were slowly converted to coal under high pressure and high temperature. As coal includes mainly carbon, the gradual conversion of dead vegetation into coal is a convenient Shale, also known as carbonization. Coal is known as a fossil fuel because it was made from the remains of plants. As coal is heated in the Shale air, it burns and emits carbon dioxide gas predominantly. Coal is processed to manufacture valuable goods such as coke, coal tar, and coal gas in industry.

Phases of Coal Formation

• Peat: It is the first kind of coal which is solely a mass of dead and decomposing plant matter. Peat was used as an alternative to wood in the past
• Lignite: Next, the peat becomes lignite, a brownish rock with a relatively low calorific value that contains recognizable plant matter. Lignite is the intermediate stage of the formation of peat to coal. It is distributed in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Gujarat
• Bituminous: The next stage is sub-bituminous, a shade of dull black with very little visible plant matter that possesses less than superior calorific value. Bituminous coal is considered to be the supreme quality of coal. Metallurgical coal is high-grade bituminous coal with a special significance for smelting iron in blast furnaces. Most of the bituminous coal can be located in Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh
• Anthracite: It is the highest quality coal. It is a complex, brittle, and black lustrous coal, often called hard coal, containing a high percentage of fixed carbon and a low rate of volatile matter. It is found in Jammu and Kashmir

Coal in India

• Coal in India belongs to two geological ages: Gondwana, about 200 million years old, and tertiary deposits, which are about 55 million years old
• The main assets of Gondwana coal (metallurgical coal) are situated in the Damodar valley of West Bengal-Jharkhand. Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro are some significant coalfields. The Godavari, Son, Mahanadi, and Wardha valleys likewise contain coal stores. Tertiary coals can be found in the northeastern provinces of India like Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland

Natural Gas

• Natural gas is considered a fossil fuel, as it was formed 300 to 400 million years ago from the remains of dead sea animals and plants
• Raw natural gas is a combination of various gases. Methane is the main ingredient, a natural compound formed from the decay of animals and plants 
• By itself, methane is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. Natural gas companies add a chemical odorant called ‘mercaptan’ (which smells like rotten eggs) to identify the escaping gas as a safety measure
• Natural gas must not be mixed up with gasoline. Gasoline is made from petroleum

Forms of Natural Gas

Liquefied Natural Gas

• As a liquid, forms of natural gas are LNG or liquefied natural gas. LNG is made by cooling down the natural gases too -260°F
• At that temperature, natural gas becomes liquid, and its volume is reduced 600 times
• LNG is more straightforward to store than the gaseous form since it takes up much less space and is also easier to transport

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)

• CNG replaces auto fuels like petrol, LPG, diesel, etc
• The use of CNG significantly reduces harmful vehicular exhaust gas emissions like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other suspended particles
• It protects the environment by reducing the effects of global warming
• It is non-toxic, non-corrosive, non-carcinogenic and hence improves public health
• CNG is lighter and wispier than air, and so it is easily dispersible without any cumulation 
• It has a narrow flammability range making it much safer than other fuels
• Temperature than other fuels, reducing accidental and spontaneous ignition chances

Shale Gas:

• Shale gas is natural gas that is trapped in shale formations. A shale is an ordinary form of sedimentary rock. Compressions of silt and clay mineral particles help in the construction of Shale. Shale formations can be found everywhere in the world
• India spotted Six Basins as Shale Gas exploration areas: Cambay in Gujarat, Gondawa in Central India, Arakan in Assam, Cauvery onshore, Krishna Godavari onshore, and Indo-Gangetic basins

Conclusion

The fossil fuels are the conventional and non-renewable sources of energy, hence there is a need to conserve them. If we keep on consuming these sources at such alarming rates, we would soon run out of energy and it causes air pollution by burning coal or petroleum products. In order to avoid this kind of situation, alternate sources of energy are to be explored.