Coalite
Encyclopedia
Coalite is a brand of low-temperature coke
used as a smokeless fuel
. The title refers to the residue left behind when coal is carbonised at 640 degrees Celsius. It was invented by Thomas Parker in 1904. In 1936 the Smoke Abatement Society awarded its inventor a posthumous gold medal.
Coalite is darker and more friable than high temperature coke. It is easier to ignite, burns with an attractive flame, and is lighter than coal, making it an ideal fuel for open domestic firegrates. Drawbacks are its tendencies to produce an excessive residual ash, to burn quickly and give off sulphurous fumes.
Volatile constituents were driven off and condensed into coal oil and a watery fraction called ammoniacal liquor. Coal gas was used to heat the ovens and also burned in the works boilers and furnaces. Any excess was flared off. The coal oil and liquor were piped over the road to the chemical works section where they were processed into various fractions and industrial chemicals. The residual Coalite solid fuel was cooled, then sorted into various grades based on size and stockpiled for distribution by road transport.
, Derbyshire in 1936. At the time it was the largest one of its type in the world.
Plants were also opened later in Askern
and Rossington
near Doncaster and at Grimethorpe
in South Yorkshire. The coal oil and liquor from these plants was processed at the central refinery at the Bolsover plant.
The ovens continued producing Coalite until the Bolsover works closed down in 2004.
By 1939 the company was producing a low octane petrol called "Coalene" as well as diesel and other fuel oils. It continued to do so through the 2nd World War and into the early 60s. It supplied fuel to the RAF and Royal Navy during the war, allegedly keeping 12 squadrons flying and 2 battleships sailing.
In 1948 the company changed its name to the Coalite Chemical Company to reflect the diversified nature of the business.
In 1952 the registered Head office address was moved from London to Bolsover
In 1956 after the introduction of the Clean Air Act 1956
Coalite was licensed as an "authorised fuel". Demand increased and the company expanded accordingly.
The Group consisted of several companies in the 1950-60s, with a Francis L. Waring, F.Inst.F. as Managing Director of this group of companies;
In 1978 the company merged with the Charringtons Coke distribution company and with this they acquired the Falkland Islands Company.
From 1980 the company owned a famous prize winning shire horse
team.
From 1984 to 1989 Eric Varley
, the ex labour minister was company chairman.
In 1986 the group acquired Hargreaves Fuel distribution services. This marked the zenith of the company's fortunes. The group was now at its most diverse and widespread, owning subsidiaries that were totally unrelated to its core business. These included sheep farming, Dormobile camper vans, Builders merchants, Pyrometer
Instrument manufacturers, vehicle sales and many others as well as industrial land across the country.
From 1987 to 1991 the company sponsored Chesterfield F.C.
In 1989 The company was taken over by Anglo United,
From 1990 to 1992 The company sponsored World class snooker tournaments
In 1997 The Falkland Islands subsidiary was floated off and became an independent company again.
The solid fuel side of the business began to shrink in the 80s. There was falling demand for the product as cheaper natural gas gradually took over the domestic heating market. The Askern works closed in 1986 and Grimethorpe in 1994. From 1982 onwards there were several waves of redundancies.
As well as the reduced demand for solid fuel the slow demise of the company was accelerated after the Anglo takeover. During the 90s there were financial difficulties because the relatively small Anglo United had borrowed heavily from HSBC to buy the much larger Coalite group and had intended to service this debt by asset-stripping Coalite's many subsidiaries, selling them off whilst retaining the core business of solid fuel production.
The sell-off did not realise as much cash as was required and even a raid on the company pension fund did little to reduce the debt. Weighed down by this debt and with little money for investment the company declined as it faced outside competition in a downturned agrochemical market. It was making losses of £2 million p.a.in the late 90s. At the same time it was embroiled in legal actions concerning land and river pollution and the resulting adverse publicity affected the sales of its products.
In 2002 Anglo was bought by a consortium of local businessmen. Any viable assets were covertly (but legally) moved into separate subsidiaries under the Anglo holding company. The remaining debts were left with the much diminished Coalite Chemicals Ltd which went into administration and then receivership, and finding no buyers, closed down finally in 2004, leaving a considerable number of redundant employees with much reduced pensions.
Obtained from Coal oil by distillation
.
Obtained from Middle oil by solvent extraction and distillation.
Obtained from Ammoniacal liquor by solvent extraction, distillation and crystallisation.
Saleable products from further processing
Obtained from used tyres by pyrolysis
This final process might have saved the company. Successful trials with existing modified plant showed that large scale reclamation of useful products from used tyres was possible. However it came too late to prevent financial collapse. This was attributed by the company to the delayed response of the regulating authorities in granting licenses for the sale of the tyre oil as fuel.
, a precursor
of Agent Orange
which was a defoliant
used in the Vietnam war. An explosion in a pilot plant in 1968 had killed a chemist and spread dioxins
over the debris. 79 employees contracted chloracne
whilst cleaning up and even some of their families were affected by traces brought home on clothing. There was more controversy when the company appeared reluctant to reveal the location of sites where the contaminated plant debris was buried and when the case notes of an independent investigator were mysteriously stolen from her home.
A specialised 245 unit was built soon after, with stringent controls and safety measures to prevent any future accidents but when the Seveso disaster
in 1976 reawakened public concern over this issue, Ted Needham, the company chairman, deemed it expedient to close down this now uneconomical plant. The reluctance of his employees to work in it may also have influenced his decision.
Problems continued with dioxin emission from the works incinerator which burned residues from the chlorination plant. This caused further public protest and instigated official investigations that culminated in prosecution and a fine of £150,000 for contamination of the river Doe Lea
and surrounding farmland in 1996. The river attained the dubious distinction of being the most polluted in the world with regard to dioxins.
From 2005 onwards the Bolsover works were gradually demolished and the site is awaiting decontamination and eventual redevelopment.
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
used as a smokeless fuel
Smokeless fuel
Smokeless fuel means fuel which does not produce visible smoke when burned. The term is usually applied to solid fuels, such as:* Anthracite* Coke* Charcoal* Hexamine fuel tablets...
. The title refers to the residue left behind when coal is carbonised at 640 degrees Celsius. It was invented by Thomas Parker in 1904. In 1936 the Smoke Abatement Society awarded its inventor a posthumous gold medal.
Coalite is darker and more friable than high temperature coke. It is easier to ignite, burns with an attractive flame, and is lighter than coal, making it an ideal fuel for open domestic firegrates. Drawbacks are its tendencies to produce an excessive residual ash, to burn quickly and give off sulphurous fumes.
The carbonisation process
Coal delivered by rail, first from the nearby Bolsover colliery, and later from other sources, was heated in 8 large air sealed ovens called "batteries".Volatile constituents were driven off and condensed into coal oil and a watery fraction called ammoniacal liquor. Coal gas was used to heat the ovens and also burned in the works boilers and furnaces. Any excess was flared off. The coal oil and liquor were piped over the road to the chemical works section where they were processed into various fractions and industrial chemicals. The residual Coalite solid fuel was cooled, then sorted into various grades based on size and stockpiled for distribution by road transport.
The Coalite Company
Coalite was manufactured by the Low Temperature Carbonisation Company, which established a manufacturing plant at Buttermilk Lane, BolsoverBolsover
Bolsover is a town near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. It is 145 miles from London, 18 miles from Sheffield, 26 miles from Nottingham and 54 miles from Manchester. It is the main town in the Bolsover district.The civil parish for the town is called...
, Derbyshire in 1936. At the time it was the largest one of its type in the world.
Plants were also opened later in Askern
Askern
Askern is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is on the A19 road between Doncaster and Selby. It became a spa town in the late 19th century, but this stopped once coal mines opened in the town. The last mine closed in the 1990s...
and Rossington
Rossington
Rossington is a civil parish and former mining village in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England and is surrounded by countryside and the market towns of Bawtry and Tickhill.-Geography:...
near Doncaster and at Grimethorpe
Grimethorpe
Grimethorpe is a large village which is part of the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,873....
in South Yorkshire. The coal oil and liquor from these plants was processed at the central refinery at the Bolsover plant.
The ovens continued producing Coalite until the Bolsover works closed down in 2004.
By 1939 the company was producing a low octane petrol called "Coalene" as well as diesel and other fuel oils. It continued to do so through the 2nd World War and into the early 60s. It supplied fuel to the RAF and Royal Navy during the war, allegedly keeping 12 squadrons flying and 2 battleships sailing.
In 1948 the company changed its name to the Coalite Chemical Company to reflect the diversified nature of the business.
In 1952 the registered Head office address was moved from London to Bolsover
In 1956 after the introduction of the Clean Air Act 1956
Clean Air Act 1956
The Clean Air Act 1956 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in response to London's Great Smog of 1952. It was in effect until 1964, and sponsored by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in England and the Department of Health for Scotland.The Act introduced a number of...
Coalite was licensed as an "authorised fuel". Demand increased and the company expanded accordingly.
The Group consisted of several companies in the 1950-60s, with a Francis L. Waring, F.Inst.F. as Managing Director of this group of companies;
- Coalite and Chemical Products Limited, (the holding company)
- Doncaster Coalite Limited,
- The Derbyshire Coalite Co.Ltd, (ran the solid fuel production at Bolsover)
- The British Diesel Oil & Petrol Co. (ran the refinery at Bolsover)
- The South Wales Coalite Co. Ltd.
- London Coalite Ltd.
In 1978 the company merged with the Charringtons Coke distribution company and with this they acquired the Falkland Islands Company.
From 1980 the company owned a famous prize winning shire horse
Shire horse
The Shire horse is a breed of draught horse or draft horse . The breed comes in many colours, including black, bay and grey. They are a tall breed, with mares standing and over and stallions standing and over. The breed has an enormous capacity for weight pulling, and Shires have held the world...
team.
From 1984 to 1989 Eric Varley
Eric Varley
Eric Graham Varley, Baron Varley, PC was an English politician and former Cabinet Minister on the right wing of the Labour Party....
, the ex labour minister was company chairman.
In 1986 the group acquired Hargreaves Fuel distribution services. This marked the zenith of the company's fortunes. The group was now at its most diverse and widespread, owning subsidiaries that were totally unrelated to its core business. These included sheep farming, Dormobile camper vans, Builders merchants, Pyrometer
Pyrometer
A pyrometer is a non-contacting device that intercepts and measures thermal radiation, a process known as pyrometry.This device can be used to determine the temperature of an object's surface....
Instrument manufacturers, vehicle sales and many others as well as industrial land across the country.
From 1987 to 1991 the company sponsored Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
In 1989 The company was taken over by Anglo United,
From 1990 to 1992 The company sponsored World class snooker tournaments
In 1997 The Falkland Islands subsidiary was floated off and became an independent company again.
The solid fuel side of the business began to shrink in the 80s. There was falling demand for the product as cheaper natural gas gradually took over the domestic heating market. The Askern works closed in 1986 and Grimethorpe in 1994. From 1982 onwards there were several waves of redundancies.
As well as the reduced demand for solid fuel the slow demise of the company was accelerated after the Anglo takeover. During the 90s there were financial difficulties because the relatively small Anglo United had borrowed heavily from HSBC to buy the much larger Coalite group and had intended to service this debt by asset-stripping Coalite's many subsidiaries, selling them off whilst retaining the core business of solid fuel production.
The sell-off did not realise as much cash as was required and even a raid on the company pension fund did little to reduce the debt. Weighed down by this debt and with little money for investment the company declined as it faced outside competition in a downturned agrochemical market. It was making losses of £2 million p.a.in the late 90s. At the same time it was embroiled in legal actions concerning land and river pollution and the resulting adverse publicity affected the sales of its products.
In 2002 Anglo was bought by a consortium of local businessmen. Any viable assets were covertly (but legally) moved into separate subsidiaries under the Anglo holding company. The remaining debts were left with the much diminished Coalite Chemicals Ltd which went into administration and then receivership, and finding no buyers, closed down finally in 2004, leaving a considerable number of redundant employees with much reduced pensions.
Processes and products
Obtained from coal by pyrolysisPyrolysis
Pyrolysis is a thermochemical decomposition of organic material at elevated temperatures without the participation of oxygen. It involves the simultaneous change of chemical composition and physical phase, and is irreversible...
- Coalite, Coal Oil, Coal Gas, Ammoniacal liquor.
Obtained from Coal oil by distillation
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
.
- Light, middle, heavy, and wax oil. Various Grades of hard pitch
Obtained from Middle oil by solvent extraction and distillation.
- PhenolPhenolPhenol, also known as carbolic acid, phenic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid. The molecule consists of a phenyl , bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds...
, Ortho-Cresol, Meta & Para-Cresol blend, 24 & 25 XylenolXylenolXylenol or dimethylphenol is an arene compound with two methyl groups and a hydroxyl group. 6 isomers exist of xylenol of which 2,6-xylenol with both methyl group in an ortho position with respect to the hydroxyl group is the most important...
blend, soft pitch
Obtained from Ammoniacal liquor by solvent extraction, distillation and crystallisation.
- AmmoniaAmmoniaAmmonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
, Catechol, homocatechol, ResorcinolResorcinolResorcinol is a dihydroxy benzene. It is the 1,3-isomer of benzenediol with the formula C6H42.-Nomenclature:Benzene-1,3-diol is the name recommended by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry in its 1993 Recommendations for the Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry.-Production:It is...
, 2 Methylresorcinol
Saleable products from further processing
- Orthophenyl-phenol, Diphenyl, Parachloro-orthocresol, Tertbutyl-catechol, 25 Dichlorophenol, Parachloro-phenol, 245 Trichlorophenol, 246 Trichlorophenol, Creosote blends, Road Tar blends, Clay pigeons, Hydrochloric acid, Sodium Hypochlorite solution, Sulfuryl chlorideSulfuryl chlorideSulfuryl chloride is an inorganic compound with the formula SO2Cl2. At room temperature, it is a colorless liquid with a pungent odor. Sulfuryl chloride is not found in nature, as can be inferred from its rapid hydrolysis....
Obtained from used tyres by pyrolysis
- Carbon blackCarbon blackCarbon black is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of heavy petroleum products such as FCC tar, coal tar, ethylene cracking tar, and a small amount from vegetable oil. Carbon black is a form of amorphous carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, although its...
, scrap steel, Light fuel oil
This final process might have saved the company. Successful trials with existing modified plant showed that large scale reclamation of useful products from used tyres was possible. However it came too late to prevent financial collapse. This was attributed by the company to the delayed response of the regulating authorities in granting licenses for the sale of the tyre oil as fuel.
Dioxin contamination
The company gained some notoriety as a manufacturer of the chemical, 245 trichlorophenolTrichlorophenol
A trichlorophenol is any organochloride of phenol that contains three covalently bonded chlorine atoms. Trichlorophenols are produced by electrophilic halogenation of phenol with chlorine. Different isomers of trichlorophenol exist according to which ring positions on the phenol contain chlorine...
, a precursor
Precursor (chemistry)
In chemistry, a precursor is a compound that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound. In biochemistry, the term "precursor" is used more specifically to refer to a chemical compound preceding another in a metabolic pathway....
of Agent Orange
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is the code name for one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth...
which was a defoliant
Defoliant
A defoliant is any chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause its leaves to fall off. A classic example of a highly toxic defoliant is Agent Orange, which the United States armed forces used abundantly to defoliate regions of Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1970.Defoliants differ...
used in the Vietnam war. An explosion in a pilot plant in 1968 had killed a chemist and spread dioxins
Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds
Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds are by-products of various industrial processes, and are commonly regarded as highly toxic compounds that are environmental pollutants and persistent organic pollutants . They include:...
over the debris. 79 employees contracted chloracne
Chloracne
Chloracne is an acne-like eruption of blackheads, cysts, and pustules associated with over-exposure to certain halogenated aromatic compounds, such as chlorinated dioxins and dibenzofurans...
whilst cleaning up and even some of their families were affected by traces brought home on clothing. There was more controversy when the company appeared reluctant to reveal the location of sites where the contaminated plant debris was buried and when the case notes of an independent investigator were mysteriously stolen from her home.
A specialised 245 unit was built soon after, with stringent controls and safety measures to prevent any future accidents but when the Seveso disaster
Seveso disaster
The Seveso disaster was an industrial accident that occurred around 12:37 pm July 10, 1976, in a small chemical manufacturing plant approximately north of Milan in the Lombardy region in Italy...
in 1976 reawakened public concern over this issue, Ted Needham, the company chairman, deemed it expedient to close down this now uneconomical plant. The reluctance of his employees to work in it may also have influenced his decision.
Problems continued with dioxin emission from the works incinerator which burned residues from the chlorination plant. This caused further public protest and instigated official investigations that culminated in prosecution and a fine of £150,000 for contamination of the river Doe Lea
River Doe Lea
The River Doe Lea is a river which flows near Glapwell and Doe Lea in Derbyshire, England. The river eventually joins the River Rother near Renishaw. The river contained 1000 times the safe level of dioxins in 1991, according to a statement made by Dennis Skinner, in the House of Commons in 1992...
and surrounding farmland in 1996. The river attained the dubious distinction of being the most polluted in the world with regard to dioxins.
From 2005 onwards the Bolsover works were gradually demolished and the site is awaiting decontamination and eventual redevelopment.
External links
- Coalite Fuel - Distributor