Sample analysis of the Blue Gem seam was very encouraging showing 3% ash, 0.65% sulfur and a range of 14,200 - 15,200 btu Blue Gem Coal is a high carbon, low ash, low fusion and low grind (very hard) coal that is found only in a small area along the border of Tennessee and Kentucky in the Cumberland Mountains. The coal seam, throughout the region, runs in thickness from 48-71 cm.
Blue Gem Coal is one of three coal seams in the world that are best suited for production of silicon metals. The other two are found in West Virginia and Columbia, South America. Of the three, the Blue Gem is the most sought after.
For this reason, it is not only consumed in the U.S., but also exported extensively to Canada, Norway, Iceland, India, France, South Africa and Egypt. With the ever increasing demand for silicon metals and silicon products, mineable Blue Gem coal resources are becoming increasingly more valuable. Historically, the Blue Gem coal can bring an FOB (Freight On Board) mine price that is as much as 100% higher than high quality steam coal and
is typically the highest priced of any grade of coal produced in the U.S.
About Silicon
In our daily lives, silicon is the raw material used in the production of polishes, lubricants, greases, hydraulic fluids, insulators, semi-conductors, adhesives, medical implants, medical and surgical aids, cosmetics, paint, silicon chips and photovoltaic or solar cells. Silicon metal is also used to produce specialty steels, to reinforce high performance concrete, and to increase the cast flow and mechanical properties of aluminum alloys.
The coal used in the production of silicon metal must have a very low ash, iron, boron and titanium content, and must be relatively hard. Very few coals in the world can be processed to yield such a low ash level at the hardness level required by silicon manufacturers. The Blue Gem coal seam, found along a small swath of the Cumberland Mountains on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, is one of those rare coals. The two other coals currently used by silicon refineries are in West Virginia and Columbia, South America. Of the three, Blue Gem coal is strongly preferred by most silicon metal manufacturers throughout the world.
The Blue Gem has never been considered to be a prime coking coal owing to its low inertinite content. Our experiments, however, show that the high volatile A bituminous Blue Gem produces a solvent-refined coke with properties resembling those of the petroleum coke used in anode coke.