Studies of coupled chemical and catalytic coal conversion methods

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7081131· OSTI ID:7081131

Stock, L M

Liquefaction of coal by depolymerization in an organic solvent has been studied for several years. The liquefied coal extract which results from such a process is far more suitable for conversion into liquid fuel by hydrogenolysis than is the untreated coal. Investigations on the chemical structure and the reactive sites of coal can help to select useful reactions for the production of liquids from coal. Sternberg et al. demonstrated that the reductive alkylation method transforms bituminous coal into an enormously soluble substance, irrespective of the mild reaction conditions. The effectiveness of newly introduced alkyl groups for the disruption of intermolecular hydrogen bonds and pi-pi interactions between the aromatic sheets in coal macromolecules has been recognized. It has been reported by Ignasiak et al. that a C-alkylabon reaction using sodium or potassium amide in liquid ammonia can be used to introduce alkyl groups at acidic carbon sites. A method has been developed recently in this laboratory for the solubilization of high rank coals. In the previous reports it was shown that n-butyl lithium and potassium t-butoxide in refluxing heptane produced coal anions which could be alkylated with different alkyl halides. Such alkylated coals were soluble up to 92% in solvents like pyridine. Though the solubilization of coal depended very much on the length of the alkyl group, it also depended very much on the nature of the base used. Strong bases like n-butyl lithium (pKa=42) can cause proton abstraction from aromatic structures, if the more acidic benzylic protons are absent. The utility of this procedure, initially developed and used by Miyake and Stock, has now been tested with the high oxygen containing, low rank Illinois No. 6 and Wyodak coals.

• Research Organization: Chicago Univ., IL (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC22-87PC79938
• OSTI ID: 7081131
• Report Number(s): DOE/PC/79938-T9; ON: DE92040282
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010405* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Hydrogenation & Liquefaction
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKANES
ALKYLATION
AMIDES
AMMONIA
AZINES
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL
COAL LIQUEFACTION
DATA
DECOMPOSITION
DEPOLYMERIZATION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HEPTANE
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDRIDES
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
LIQUEFACTION
MATERIALS
METHYLATION
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SOLVENTS
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
PROGRESS REPORT
PYRIDINE
PYRIDINES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SOLVENTS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES