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lignite

solid coal

Lignite (brown coal) uses the IPCC's 2006 global default figures. DESNZ groups coal by how it's used rather than by geological rank, so we use the IPCC's rank-based tables (Table 1.2 for calorific value, Table 2.2 for emissions) instead. No density is given in the source, so volume conversions are not available. The IPCC table only provides a net calorific value (NCV), not a higher heating value (HHV, also called gross calorific value or GCV), so that figure is shown as 'not available' too.

  • Lignite is extremely variable (moisture/ash): the IPCC net calorific value has a 95% range of 5.5–21.6 MJ/kg. Treat any lignite energy figure as a rough estimate. No density available → volume conversions not available.

Different products with different numbers. Check you are on the right one.

Density

Not available.

Heating values

HHV/GCV not available — not derived from LHV.

Emission factors

MetricValueScopeRegion / yearSource
CO₂101 kgCO2/GJdirect combustionglobal · 2006

CO₂ ≠ CO₂e — separate metrics, never converted into one another. What these metrics mean →

Worked example

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Converting
1 kg · lignite

Conversion results

Energy

Same energy expressed in other units.

~11.9 MJ range ~5.5–21.6 MJ
estimate
~3.31 kWh range ~1.52–6 kWh
estimate
~0.0119 GJ range ~0.0055–0.0216 GJ
estimate
~11,300 BTU range ~5,210–20,500 BTU
estimate

Mass

1,000,000 mg
exact
1,000 g
exact
1 kg
exact
0.001 t
exact
~2.20462 lb
exact

Emissions

CO₂ and CO₂e are separate — never derived from each other.

~1.2 kg CO2
estimate

Energy density

Energy per unit of mass or volume.

11.9 MJ/kg
source-based

Assumptions

  • heating value basis: energy on LHV/NCV basis, 11.9 MJ/kg

Sources

Follow each source back to its primary document — that traceability is the point. How conversions work →

Sources

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