Fate of catechols in coal gasification condensate waters
Even after the wastewater has been subjected to rigorous cleaning, many chemicals still remain. In order to remove these compounds, they must be identified. Catechol is a compound which appears in the condensate water and, because its concentration changes, its fate is somewhat uncertain. In recent experiments modeling the condensate water conditions, catechol solutions were aerated in the presence of ammonia. Upon acidification of the solutions, a polymer precipitates. This polymer was compared to the black compound isolated from the condensate water by spectral and elemental analyses. The structures of the two polymers were reasonably similar. The kinetics of oxidation, as determined by the uptake of oxygen, indicates that the reaction was first order in catechol and oxygen. The rate was significantly enhanced by an increase in pH. Assuming that catechol is the only subunit of the polymers isolated from the different condensate waters, calculations would indicate that the initial catechol concentration varies from 440 to 1700 ppM. An attempt is being made to account for all of the carbon that appears in the water from the gasification process. Presently, only 60% to 70% of the carbon-containing products have been identified. Part of the remaining total organic carbon can be accounted for by the catechol polymer. Studying the fate of catechol in the coal gasification condensate water will help to develop an environmentally and financially feasible treatment of the wastewater. 4 refs.
- Research Organization:
- North Dakota Univ., Grand Forks (USA). Energy Research Center
- DOE Contract Number:
- FC21-83FE60181
- OSTI ID:
- 6277248
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/FE/60181-194; CONF-8604124-5; ON: DE86007281
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: North Dakota Academy of Science conference, Grand Forks, ND, USA, 28 Apr 1986
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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010404* - Coal
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