Spatial variation of organic sulfur in coal

Conference · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Prepr. Pap., Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Fuel Chem.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5974472

Wert, C A; Tseng, B H; Hsieh, K C; Buckentin, M; Ge, Y P

Spatial variation of organic sulfur concentration in coals has been generally known for years. The high resolution of the transmission electron microscope permits that variation to be measured more precisely than is possible by bulk techniques; variations may be measured over distances less than 1 /mu/m. Measurement of organic sulfur content using the transmission electron microscope requires use of ultra thin films or very fine powders. We typically use foils less than 1 /mu/m thickness or powders ground to a few /mu/m. The organic sulfur content is proportional to the ratio of the count rate for the sulfur K/alpha/ line to the count rate for the background radiation measured over some convenient energy interval. The proportionality constant is determined using sulfur standards. The technique is highly reliable for sulfur, as is shown in earlier publications. The PIXE method for heavier elements also utilizes the background radiation to permit absolute numerical concentrations to be derived. This paper reports a particular application of the TEM method to determination of the spatial variation of organic sulfur, both within a given maceral and among maceral types. Some of the observations report measurements on powdered specimens, others on foil specimens prepared from bulk coal.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5974472
• Report Number(s): CONF-870802-
• Journal Information: Prepr. Pap., Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Fuel Chem.; (United States), Vol. 32:4; Conference: 194. American Chemical Society national meeting, New Orleans, LA, USA, 30 Aug - 4 Sep 1987
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
COAL
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
MACERALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DATA
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
MICROSCOPY
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
010600* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Properties & Composition
400102 - Chemical & Spectral Procedures