What's the difference between BC "Met" and PA Anthracite?

British Columbia, CA anthracite is generally classified as 'Met' (Metallurgical) coal. What are the essential differences between British Columbian 'Met' anthracite, and the anthracite in Eastern Pa that many of us here on this forum commonly burn in our stoves, furnaces, and boilers? I'm wondering if the massive deposits of anthracite in BC can also be used for home heating?

http://www.coalage.com/index.php/news/l ... oject.html

http://www.canadianculture.com/geezer/jack67.html

First we need to understand what Met. Coal is...

http://www.gccoal.com/about-us/met-coal-101.html


According to Natural Resources Canada

Coal is classified, based on the pressure and temperature (metamorphism) to which it has been subjected, into four types or ranks. These are, from lowest to highest metamorphism, lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous and anthracite. Colour and hardness increase with rank. Anthracite and bituminous are hard and referred to as ‘black coals’, compared to sub-bituminous and lignite, which are soft and referred to as ‘brown coals’. There are no anthracite coal mines in Canada. Bituminous coal is used for both metallurgical and thermal purposes, and sub-bituminous and lignite are used only for thermal purposes. The coal fields on the map are areas in which coal deposits of possible economic value occur in relatively close proximity. More than 90% of Canada’s coal resources are found in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, one of the country’s seven major basins of sedimentary rock, deposited during the past 500 million years, that possess fossil fuels (coal, oil or natural gas).

Anthracite is the highest ranked coal as it has the highest carbon content and is the hardest. Deposits are found in remote areas of northwestern British Columbia and in the Yukon.

http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/auth/english/m ... rgy/Coal/1

There are a few huge (world class) deposits of anthracite that have been discovered in BC Canada. It has never been actively mined to date, so if your source is referring only to active mines in Canada it is 100% correct. Anthracite mining in BC is currently projected to start in 2016.

The Mount Klappan Anthracite Metallurgical Coal project has been renamed the Arctos anthracite project. Arctos is one of the worlds premier metallurgical coal deposits and the most advanced Canadian deposit of high rank anthracite coal—a key ingredient in steel and metal processing. Previous expenditures total more than $90 million and have resulted in Measured Resources of 107.9 million metric tons (mt), Indicated Resources of 123 million mt and Inferred Resources of 359.5 million mt, and in-situ coal reserves of 106 million mt. The project is located 330 km northeast of the port of Prince Rupert, BC.

Mount Klappan is the location of one of BC's world class anthracite deposits, and Wolverine is the other. Wolverine does not appear to be anywhere near as advanced a project however.

A whopper load of metallurgical coal is currently actively being mined in BC, but as far as I can tell it ranks at best only as 'semi-anthracite'. It is also called hard coking coal and/or ultra-low volatile pulverized injection coal (ULV-PCI). The ULV-PCI stuff it what I believe is the semi-anthracite grade of BC coal. ULV-PCI coal is used directly in the technologically advanced and new steel making blast furnaces, and can be used directly as a substitute for as much as 30% of the coke feed.

Walter Energy, Inc. in BC is a huge player here. Their Western mines ULV-PCI with its ultra low volatility and very low ash content has been recognized as one of the worlds premier ULV-PCI coals. Walter Energy's ULV-PCI mine was formerly ran by the 'Western Canadian Coal Co.' All of it goes to China and Japan to my knowledge.

I understand now that 'met' coal and 'anthracite' coal are not synonymous, since met coal production in BC Canada is a huge industry and anthracite is not anticipated to be mined there until 2016 (or later if the usual permitting delays and environmental lawsuits, etc... delay it further). That admitted, there is in fact something that is being referred to as "anthracite coal" in British Columbia Canada, and they are clearly not calling it semi-anthracite. The title for this thread should therefore have been: "What's the difference between BC Anthracite and PA Anthracite?"

Some info I scarfed directly from the Fortune Minerals Limited website:

ABOUT ANTHRACITE COAL:

Mount Klappan has very large resources of high quality anthracite metallurgical coal, the highest rank coal based on carbon and energy content. Anthracite is used in a broad range of applications, including reductants used in metallurgical processing, blend coals for blast furnace coke replacement, and charge carbon, sinter and PCI coals used to manufacture steel. Only about 1% of world coal reserves are anthracite grade, making Mount Klappan coal a relatively uncommon premium product. Global annual anthracite production is approximately 565 million tonnes with 85% of supply currently produced in China, which notably became a net importer in 2008. Vietnam, the world's second largest producer with annual production of approximately 43 million tonnes, is curtailing exports in order to satisfy domestic requirements. Mount Klappan is well positioned to service the growing demand from the growth of emerging economies, primarily in Asia and constrained supply.

PCI COAL QUALITY(air dried basis)
Residual Moisture 0.9%
Ash 10%
Volatile Matter 6.5%
Fixed Carbon 82.6%
Sulphur 0.5%
Gross Calorific Value 31.1 GJ / t
Gross Calorific Value 7423 kcal / kg
Gross Calorific Value 13,352 Btu / lb
HGI 40-45
Size 0-50 mm

http://www.fortuneminerals.com/News/Pre ... fault.aspx

This is apparently as good as it gets in British Columbia, CA. How does this compare with typical PA Anthracite? I was thinking that the carbon content is a bit low compared to nominal PA anthracite, so by PA anthracite standards, perhaps this BC coal is only semi-anthracite after all? When the mine starts up in 2016 it's all going to go into Asian steel manufacture, but would it burn in our stoves? It would be sad to see all of this high quality coal going to Asia for steel production if it can be burned in stoves and boilers across America (meaning here both Canada and the United States).

My source (Marks' Handbook) lists anthracite as having between 92-98 percent carbon, semianthracite between 86-92 percent and low-volatile bituminous between 78-86 percent carbon, measured on a dry basis. For what its worth. Doesn't negate your other points.