Book excerpt: To stay profitable while complying with environmental regulations requires that the coal industry not only improve fine coal recovery but also finds better ways for its utilization. This is the first monograph on the processing of fine coal which recognizes that all unit operations that handle fine coal depend on coal surface properties, and which in one single volume provides a comprehensive introduction to coal surface chemistry, using it rigorously in treating coal flotation fundamentals and engineering, fine coal manipulation, pelletization and briquetting, and coal-water slurries. Readers involved in mineral processing, chemical engineering, mining and metallurgical engineering; technical personnel working for reagent suppliers; and scientists researching the field of coal surface chemistry, flotation and fine coal utilization will find this volume of great interest.