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U.S. Department of Energy
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Chemistry of lignite liquefaction. Quarterly report, October-December 1981

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5384374

Asphaltene and preasphaltene samples were isolated by solvent extraction using toluene and tetrahydrofuran, respectively, from GFETC liquefaction runs 44-14, 44-12, 45-15, 46-16 and 58-15. All the forty series samples were prepared from North Dakota lignite while 58-15 was from a Texas lignite. The quantity of preashpaltenes and asphaltenes in the five samples were 4.5 +- 0.5% wt and 13 +- 3% wt, respectively. The majority of the lignite was converted into distillable oils. The samples contain 7 to 10% wt oxygen for the preasphaltenes and 4 to 6% wt for the asphaltenes. The preasphaltene/asphaltene ratio of oxygen was 1.5 +- 0.1 for a given run. Approximately 50% of the oxygen is phenolic and the remainder we assume to be etheral types. In comparing process conditions, higher reaction pressures led to lower aromaticity and degree of condensation in the products, but had little effect on the oxygen content for the asphaltenes and raised the oxygen percentage for the preasphaltenes. Understanding the Catalytic Role of H/sub 2/S in Low-Rank Coal Liquefaction: One postulate on the mechanism of H/sub 2/S promotion of liquefaction is by means of its conversion into elemental sulfur in intermediate stages. Consequently, elemental sulfur was reacted with compounds postulated to approximate the crucial chemical bonds of coal which are necessary to rupture for liquefaction: diphenylmethane, bibenzyl, diphenyl ether and N,N-dimethylaniline. The reactions quickly proceeded at liquefaction temperatures to give a variety of products. A portion of these products are lower in molecular weight than the starting materials. Some of the products have been identified. N,N-dimethylaniline is demethylated with either elemental sulfur or H/sub 2/S sequentially via N-methylaniline.

Research Organization:
North Dakota Univ., Grand Forks (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AB18-78FC02101
OSTI ID:
5384374
Report Number(s):
DOE/FC/02101-20; ON: DE82016705
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English