Carbon (from Latin Carboneum) C

Dolomite (occurrence: Germany, Austria, Italy, in Poland in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains and Małopolska), magnesite (Austria, Italy, Russia, China, in Poland: around Gogołów, Grochów, Szklary), malachite (Russia, Zambia USA, found in Poland in Małopolska), calcite (Great Britain, Iceland, Germany, in Poland found in the Silesian and Krakow-Częstochowa uplands).

Carbon is a black solid, insoluble in water. It occurs in various allotropic varieties (the most important are diamond and graphite, which differ in their crystallographic form). Relatively unreactive, under normal conditions it does not react with most chemicals, it has 3 isotopes. Activated carbon is a material with a high ability to adsorb gases and pollutants. It is a biogenic element, which means that it is a part of every living organism.

CO, CO2, CH4, CaC2, C6H12O6, HCHO, CH3COOH, CaCO3

Hard coal is extracted from deep mine shafts in the form of coal rocks, while lignite is another type of coal that is extracted from open pit mines rather than from deep shafts. Activated carbon is obtained by activating charcoal or hard coal as a result of high temperature and the action of water vapor or strong acids. It is a material with high adsorption capacity.

Coal is widely used as a fuel in thermal power plants to generate electricity. Coke, made from coal, is used to reduce iron ore in the steelmaking process. Coal is a raw material for the production of many chemicals, such as acetic acid and methanol. Activated carbon is used in adsorption processes to remove pollutants from air and water, as well as in the purification of industrial gases. Its use also raises environmental challenges, as burning coal generates emissions of greenhouse gases and other atmospheric pollutants.

The largest coal producer in the world is China, while India, the United States, Australia, Russia and Indonesia are also significant producers. In Poland, most coal is mined in Upper Silesia. This is a region that is historically associated with the coal industry and has long been the center of coal mining in the country.

In the past, charcoal was used for prophecy in some cultures. The future was predicted based on patterns created by the burning of coal. Coal has been an important raw material in human history, especially during the industrial revolution, when its extraction and use significantly influenced technological development. Carbon takes part in photosynthesis, which is extremely important in the life of living organisms because it produces oxygen. Carbon affects the Earth's heat balance because CO2 acts as a greenhouse gas, influencing global climate change. As a result of human activity, including the use of fossil fuels, the layer of emitted greenhouse gases has thickened, disturbing the natural balance in the environment, which has resulted in a deepening of the greenhouse effect and its negative consequences. The consequences of the disturbed greenhouse effect are as follows: an increase in the average air temperature by 0.2 degrees per decade in many places on Earth, a decrease in the mass of glaciers, which results in a rise in the water level in the seas and oceans, numerous floods on islands and areas near the seas, and avalanches in the mountains, increased water evaporation and droughts will result in a decrease in water resources, and some fertile areas will turn into deserts.