Produção de carvão mineral no Brasil

The extraction of coal in Brazil is quite important for the economy of Brazil, whether it is the production of mineral coal in Brazil or that of charcoal. Charcoal, for example, is very present in the country's forests, making this sector one of the main producers in the world.

The extraction process between these two types of coals are different. The plant is extracted through the process of carbonization of the biomass coming from the wood. Mineral coal is extracted in mines, being a sedimentary rock built through the decomposition of organic matter.

As one of the main energy sources, one of the most used worldwide, charcoal has an impact on the Brazilian economy. The railway sector, for example, is one of the major beneficiaries, since a large part of the transport of mineral coal in Brazil is carried out by this sector.

Until the year 2021, ores and coal represented about 80% of all cargo transported by railroads in the country.

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Composition and extraction of mineral coal in Brazil

To understand more about coal, its importance, economic impact, transport, among other details, it is interesting to understand how it is formed, what its composition is and how the extraction and production of coal works in Brazil.

Well, as we said, coal is an ore extracted directly from the underground, essentially in mines, through mining. It is a fossil fuel, usually black or brown in color.

The formation of coal occurred millions of years ago, through the burial of branches, roots and leaves by sediments. That is, it is the decomposition of organic matter that, when buried, undergoes the action of bacteria under particular conditions, transforming this matter into a darkened color.

Its composition is almost entirely carbon. However, in addition to carbon, you can find in its formation:

Sulfur;
Nitrogen;
Oxygen;
Hydrogen.

To classify the types of coal extracted in the production of mineral coal in Brazil, the criterion used is precisely the amount of carbon present in its composition. In this sense, there are 4 categories: peat, lignite, coal and anthracite, the last one being the purest formation of coal.

To classify coal extracted in mines into good or bad quality, its energy power is taken into account. As the main function of charcoal is to be a source of energy for different spaces, such as industries, thermodynamics, hydroelectric plants, among others, this is the factor that unbalances.

Worldwide, coal is one of the main energy sources, representing more than 20% of all energy consumed. However, as it is one of the most polluting ores found in nature, there are controversies regarding its use.

Mineral coal production in Brazil

While the production of charcoal is very impactful in the country, being the main producer of this input worldwide, the production of mineral coal in Brazil suffers from some barriers.

Currently, even with domestic production, Brazil still imports about 50% of the coal used, since the product extracted in Brazilian mines is considered of low quality due to the low carbon content in its composition.

Regarding its production, the highlight goes to the South region, which is the largest producer of mineral coal in the country, with the main reserves being in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Other states that stand out are: Paraná, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Bahia. Mineral coal deposits are also found in the states of Pernambuco, Piauí, Maranhão, Pará, Amazonas and Acre, but with less relevance.

The biggest highlight is for the South region precisely because of the quality of the coal extracted. Despite being still of low quality compared to other countries in the world, it ends up surpassing those of states in other regions.

It is precisely in Rio Grande do Sul that the largest mineral coal deposit is found, in the Candiota deposit. This deposit corresponds to about 23% of the national reserves.

Mineral coal in Brazil: main movement of cargo by railroads

In order for coal to be used throughout the country, there must be a means of transport that can handle its logistics. In this sense, the production of mineral coal in Brazil only makes sense because of the railways, and the transport of coal was one of the exponents of this modal.

As we have seen, the most expressive production of mineral coal is in the south of the country, quite distant from other regions. In this way, it is necessary that there is this broader means of transport and that it covers the entire national territory, taking the input to supply different states.

In this sense, the railways certainly stand out. Currently, more than 77% of the loads transported in the rail sector are represented by ores and mineral coal.

Many of the main national railways, such as MRS (Southeast), Estrada de Ferro Carajás (North and Northeast) and Estrada de Ferro Vitória a Minas (Southeast), for example, transport this product from coal production in Brazil.

However, there is a railway that stands out precisely for the transport of mineral coal: the Tereza Cristina Railway (FTC), which operates directly in the state of Santa Catarina.

Both for the internal transport of mineral coal production in Brazil, as for the transport of imported products, the railway sector has a direct impact on this process. For this, the existence of quality rail logistics is essential, which allows transport to leave the deposits or ports and reach the supply centers efficiently.

However, transport logistics is precisely a factor that makes it difficult to expand and use coal in more spaces. Precisely because of the low number of railroads available for the use and transport of coal, many regions are not adequately supplied.

Importance of railway expansion

papel das ferrovias no transporte de carvão mineral brasileira

The greater the investment in the construction and modernization of railways, in addition to strengthening smaller ports, the greater the impact on the use of mineral coal in Brazil.

In this sense, railway expansion plays an essential role in the development of this sector, which, compared to other countries, still leaves much to be desired. It is not enough to develop coal production in Brazil and not invest in means of transporting this product, in an accessible and profitable way.

Despite being part of the products that are most transported in the rail sector, this ends up not representing such a significant impact, since the railroad sector is still very “weak”, especially in relation to the road sector.

In addition to enhancing the quality of the coal extracted, which is essential for the ore to be used as an energy source, it is necessary to find solutions to make the transport of coal more efficient.

Currently, highways still make up the vast majority of traffic for national products and, due to the high costs of fuel, fees, fronts, among others, this ends up hindering the growth of different sectors, including coal mining.

Conclusion

As we saw in the article, coal is a very important input for the whole world, including Brazil. Being one of the most used energy sources in Brazil, coal is extracted through mining. In Brazil, the railways have a direct impact on the transport of this input, but it still leaves something to be desired precisely due to the lack of investments in the sector.

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