The effect of fine grinding on the production of superclean coal by flotation

Conference · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:6343619

Miller, K J; Wen, Wu-Wey

Because of the growing need to develop new technology for producing superior quality coals to replace oil and natural gas, the US Department of Energy's Coal Preparation Division is looking at fine grinding and multistage flotation processes to maximize the liberation and removal of sulfur-bearing and ash-forming mineral matter from coal. The beneficiation of micronized coal by froth flotation has long been considered unsatisfactory because of poor product quality and/or poor recovery. However, recent studies have shown that ultrafine coal can be cleaned to very low-ash levels if the appropriate grinding procedure is used to prepare the coal and if a relatively low ash feed is used. For example, wet grinding assures a much lower ash froth concentrate than does dry grinding. In addition, work now in progress suggests that superclean products of high yield can be obtained by a combination of coarse coal cleaning or rougher flotation, followed by wet grinding and reclining by second-stage and third-stage coal flotation. For example, by a combination of rougher flotation, wet grinding of the rougher concentrate, and two-stage coal flotation of the wet-ground product, an Upper Freeport bed coal sample was cleaned from 26% ash and 1.1% pyritic sulfur to 4.5% ash and 0.1% pyritic sulfur. 4 refs., 7 figs., 8 tabs.

• Research Organization: USDOE Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center, PA
• OSTI ID: 6343619
• Report Number(s): CONF-850982-4; ON: DE87011814
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010300* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Preparation-- (1987-)
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL
COAL PREPARATION
COMMINUTION
DEASHING
DESULFURIZATION
ENERGY SOURCES
FLOTATION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GRINDING
MACHINING
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PITTSBURGH ENERGY TECHNOLOGY CENTER
SEPARATION PROCESSES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS