Carbon – Elements in Industry
Introduction
Carbon is used in a variety of ways in many industries. Coal, which is made up of carbon, is a really good example of the uses of carbon in industries. Carbon itself is a very versatile element, it makes up coal and diamonds, probably the last materials you’d think were similar. Carbon has an atomic number of 6 and a mass number of 12.011, meaning it has 6 protons, 6 electrons and 6 neutrons. Carbons atomic structure is 2.4. Carbon is a part of group 2 and period 14, its melting point is at 3550 degrees Celsius. This report will be covering the history, how it’s extracted, mined and refined, how developments have changed these processes, and finally, how it is used.
History
Carbon is abundant in fossil fuels and as such, was used in a variety of ways throughout history. Carbon comes in many forms, one of which is coal, coal was used because it burned. Coal was used in fireplaces, in metal smelting. Charcoal, was used for the same purpose but was a lot easier to burn. Carbon has been used even in prehistoric times, as soot, charcoal and coal, and carbon in the form of diamond in very ancient times. It is unknown when carbon was discovered and by who, but it has been known since ancient times and gets its name from the Latin word carbo, meaning charcoal.
How it is extracted
Carbon is extracted via mining, mining diamonds, coal or making charcoal. Many types of carbon are mined, like diamond, one of carbons pure forms, coal or graphite. Carbon can also be found in charcoal, this type of carbon can be extracted by burning wood. Carbon is not usually refined, but diamonds are often refined. The process for refining diamonds starts with cleaning the diamonds with solvents including alcohol, acetone, sulphuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and/or water. Diamonds are then submerged in strong caustic and acid solvents and heated to anywhere between 220 and 500 degrees Celsius.
How developments in technology have changed these processes
Developments in technology have not changed these processes very much over time. Diamonds didn’t used to be refined because man didn’t have the tools to refine it, once the tools and technique was discovered, the way diamonds were used changed, and the processes it went through did as well.
How it is used
Carbon today is still used in a lot of the same ways as it was throughout history. Carbon is still used for metal smelting and as a power source and fossil fuel. A fossil fuel power station is a power producing station that runs on fossil fuels like coal. How it does this is by first milling steam coal, or thermal coal into a fine powder, giving it a larger surface area and making it easier to burn. The coal powder is blown into the combustion chamber of a boiler and is burned at a high temperature, the hot gas and heat energy produced turns
Worldcoal.org, (ND), Coal-Electricity-Diagram_1 [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.worldcoal.org/sites/default/files/Coal-Electricity-Diagram_1.jpg [Accessed 4 July 2018]. the water in tubes lining the boiler into steam which goes into a turbine, providing power. Coal burning is responsible for around 37% of global electricity.
Conclusion
Carbon has been used in a variety of ways throughout history, from metal smelting to regular fireplaces in many different forms, such as charcoal, coal, graphite and diamond. Many forms of coal are extracted via mining except for charcoal, which is extracted by burning wood. Carbon can also be refined but is not refined usually except for in the case of diamonds, which uses a boiling process to be refined. This process wasn’t used until more recent technological developments as human kind didn’t have knowledge or the tools necessary to use this process. More recent uses for carbon include the use of coal in fossil fuel power plants. More specifically, steam coal, also referred to as thermal coal is used to creat energy by burning and producing heat which turns water into steam, that is fed into a turbine. Carbon has many uses. technological developments have helped its extraction and refinement process, the carbon element is very useful and has benefited the human race substantially over the years.