Oxygen leaching system shows commercial promise for removing sulfur from coal
Kennecott Copper Corp's Ledgemont Laboratory has developed the Ledgemont Oxygen Leaching Process in which a coal slurry is fed to leaching reactors in which under suitable conditions of temperature, pressure, slurry density, gas dispersion, and mixing, the pyritic sulfur is oxidized to soluble sulfates. The slurry is then separated and, with the coal fraction, washed; water from washing and leaching operations is neutralized with lime or limestone. Iron compounds and gypsum are separated from the water and sent to a disposal area, and the clean water is recycled. Pyrite removal is a critical step in coal hydrogenation, which would produce valuable chemicals, some low-sulfur coal liquids, and a low-sulfur, pitchlike material containing ash which could be burned to generate electricity. Alternatively, the treated coal could be slurry-pipelined directly to a powerplant; the process is reported to be economically competitive and stack-gas scrubbing to reduce sulfur emissions.
- OSTI ID:
- 5294330
- Journal Information:
- Coal Age; (United States), Vol. 79:6
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
COAL
DESULFURIZATION
LEDGEMONT PROCESS
FLOWSHEETS
PYRITE
OXIDATION
LEACHING
REMOVAL
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DIAGRAMS
DISSOLUTION
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON SULFIDES
MINERALS
PYRITES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
010402* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Purification & Upgrading