''Organic Petrology'' is a new book, but one with antecedents. It is rooted in the famous ''Stach''s Textbook of Coal Petrology'''' (1975) and its predecessor ''Stach''s Lehrbuch der Kohlenpetrologie'''' (1935) but has been completely revised and expanded in order to incorporate a huge amount of new data obtained in the two decades since the publication of the 3rd edition of Stach. ''Organic Petrology'' now covers the whole field of the petrology of organic material in rocks. The book addresses researchers, undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students, people concerned with the assessment, mining and use of coal and oil shales, and exploration workers interested in the occurrence and the evaluation of petroleum and natural gas and their source rocks.

An understanding of basic coal properties is important for achieving reductions in trace element emissions and improving the efficiency of combustion and combined-cycle gasification. The production of methane from coal beds is related to the properties of the in situ coal. Similarly, coal bed sequestration of carbon dioxide produced from combustion is dependent on the reservoir properties. Environmental problems accompany coal on its way from the mine to the point of utilization and beyond. Health aspects related with coal mining and coal utilization are also included because, in planning for coal use, it is impossible to separate environmental and health issues from the discussion of coal utilization. The book is aimed at a wide audience, ranging from researchers, lecturers and students to professionals in industry and discusses issues (such as the environmental, and health) that are of concern to the general public as a whole.-

Contains proceedings of a Special Workshop on "Coal and Organic Petrology" during 1996.

Organic petrology is a discipline of geology which integrates multidisciplinary approaches for the exploration and evaluation of fossil fuel resources by conventional and unconventional procedures. Organic petrology has brought forth new, powerful analytical tools for the characterization of geological hydrocarbon systems, thus providing information where previous analytical techniques prove to be less effective. The reference provides a broad, comprehensive source of information about the application of organic petrology in the investigation of geological formations related with the production and accumulation of oil and gas. Eleven chapters cover a variety of topics (kerogens, dispersed organic matter systems, sedimentary organic matter systems, oil and gas shales, etc.). Additional information in chapters referring to examples in specific geographical locations provides a global perspective of hydrocarbon exploration. The book is an introductory reference for all scholars involved in applied organic petrology of hydrocarbon systems including graduate and undergraduate geology students, engineers and lab technicians. [Series intro] Geology: Current and Future Developments is a book series that brings together the latest contributions to geological research. Each volume features chapters contributed by academic scholars / professional experts from around the world. The scope of the book series includes (but is not limited to) topics such as plate tectonics, climate science, hydrocarbon exploration, mineral exploration, and environmental science. This series is intended as a useful compendium of scholarly reference material for geology students and professionals.

‘Coal’ and ‘China’ to some extent have become synonymous. China is by far the largest user of coal in the world. In 2016, coal production in China amounted to 3.21 billion tons, about half of the total global coal production. Coal consumption accounts for more than 65% of primary energy consumption in China. The Chinese coal industry greatly contributes to the economic development in China, the second largest economy in the world. However, periodically, ubiquitous images of smog blanketing major Chinese cities are viewed all over the world. Coal combustion is one of the important contributors to smog, which is considered to be a major environmental and human health problem for China and other countries. News stories also highlight the periodic coal mine disasters that kill hundreds of Chinese coal miners annually. The need to address these and other human health, environmental, and mine safety issues and to maximize resource recovery and use justifies a vigorous coal research effort. This book brings together experts on almost every aspect of coal geology, coal production, composition and use of the coal and its by-products, and coal’s environmental and human health impacts. The chapters in this book were originally published in a special issue of the International Geology Review.