Key Takeaways
- Experts urge government to develop strategy for metallurgical coal.
- Metallurgical coal crucial for local steel industry and foreign exchange savings.
- Coal requires detailed exploration and characterisation before commercial use.
Experts have called on the government to develop a strategy to exploit the potential of metallurgical coal, a key raw material in steelmaking, according to Dr Sultan Ahmed Khoso, an expert in mining and metallurgical engineering.
Khoso highlighted that Pakistan has not sufficiently explored its coal resources for metallurgical applications due to a historical focus on coal as an energy source rather than a strategic industrial raw material.
Metallurgical coal, particularly coking coal, is essential for the production of metallurgical coke, which is used in blast furnaces to produce pig iron and subsequently steel. This underscores its strategic importance for the local steel industry.
Dr Khoso emphasized that scientifically, having large coal resources does not automatically mean they are suitable for metallurgical applications. Coking coal requires specific characteristics such as appropriate rank, ash, sulphur, and volatile matter content.
The economic opportunity is significant, as the local steel industry has historically relied on imported coking coal and metallurgical coke, creating foreign-exchange pressure and exposure to international price and supply disruptions.
Dr Khoso stressed that the objective should be to identify domestic coal capable of replacing or blending with imported material, thereby saving foreign exchange and creating value-added industrial activity. Exports should only be considered after commercially viable quality and supply are scientifically established.
Dr Fida Hussain Channa, an expert in coal testing and upgrading, explained that indigenous coal can be upgraded for metallurgical applications through processes such as coal beneficiation, blending, and controlled carbonisation.
The first step involves detailed characterisation of ash, sulphur, moisture, volatile matter, fixed carbon, calorific value, and coking properties. Suitable coal can then undergo crushing, size classification, and density-based separation to remove ash-forming minerals and pyritic sulphur.
The importance of metallurgical coal extends beyond direct use in steel production, as it enables the production of iron, steel, coke, and ferroalloys, which underpin various industries including construction, transport, machinery, and energy infrastructure.
Financially, we should first establish proven, commercially recoverable resources and competitive mine-to-coke economics before committing major capital.
Dr Sultan Ahmed Khoso, Expert in mining and metallurgical engineering
