Education
Did you know that we use coal in one form or another in our homes every day? On average, each Australian will use 200 tonnes of coal in their lifetime, most of it indirectly through products and services. There are two types of coal – thermal coal, which is used to produce electricity, and metallurgical (or coking) coal, a key ingredient in making steel we need in cars, trucks, refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers and large bridges. The majority of BMA's coals are used in the blast furnace process to extract iron from iron ore. The molten iron then becomes a major ingredient in steel production. Most of the electricity generated in Australia comes from thermal coal. Coal is also an important ingredient in plastic, dyes, medicines, aspirin, soap, disinfectant, detergents, nylons, cosmetics, synthetic rubber, cement, bricks and tiles.