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Title: Extraction, separation and analysis of high sulfur coal

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7172349· OSTI ID:7172349

As mentioned in the previous report, an alternate plan of attack was to try to oxidize the sulfur in coal in a nonaqueous solvent, such as DMF. Copper oxidation reactions are known to have much greater reaction rates in apolar solvents such as DMF. In this experiment the reaction solvent was 50 % v/v H{sub 2}0-DMF with 14% CuCl{sub 2} dissolved in it. The coal sample used was Illinois {number sign}6. The reaction temperature used was 95{degrees}C and the reaction time was 17 hrs. The remaining coal solid was then sent to Blackrock Test Labs, Morgantown, WV for analysis of sulfur in the extracted coal sample. The original sample of Illinois {number sign}6 has 4.83% total sulfur content, of which, 2.81% was pyrite, 0.01% was sulfate and 2.01% was organosulfur species with 14.25% ash. The results obtained from Blackrock show that total sulfur content after reaction was 1.75% of which 0.54% was pyrite, 0.20% was sulfate and 1.01% was organic sulfur with an ash content of 25%. This reaction shows considerable promise in that approximately 50% of the organosulfur type compounds were eliminated along with similar proportions of pyrite. The resulting ash content is still too high. The major contribution to the ash content is not destroyed coal but inorganic copper salts. We have yet to determine the specific nature of these salts but for this to be a viable technique these inorganic species must stay in solution rather than precipitating out onto the coal. The required stoichiometry of the oxidation reaction also has not been determined yet. The quantity of copper salt in solution was kept high to force the reaction to completion.

Research Organization:
Ohio State Univ. Research Foundation, Columbus, OH (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC22-87PC79887
OSTI ID:
7172349
Report Number(s):
DOE/PC/79887-T15; ON: DE92040300
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English