Week 2 Coal Utilization Composition, properties, ca

fuel and energy

1. Fuel and Energy Utilization
(ECE4433)
Composition, properties, classifications, and
treatment processes of coal (Week 2)
Bachelor of Chemical Engineering
with Honours

2. 2© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 2© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 2© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Chapter Overview
•Classification of coal by rank
•The caking behavior of bituminous coals
•Elemental composition
•The macromolecular structure of coals
•Coals as heterogeneous solids
•Physical properties
•Coal gasification
•Coal liquefaction
9/6/2022

3. 3© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 3© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 3© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Learning Objectives
•Toprovidetheunderstandingandknowledgeonthe
classificationofcoalbyrank,thecakingbehaviorof
bituminouscoals,elementalcomposition,the
macromolecularstructureofcoals,coalsas
heterogeneoussolids,physicalpropertiesofcoals,and
coalgasificationandliquefactiontechnologies
9/6/2022

4. 4© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 4© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 4© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Learning Outcomes
•Studentshouldbeabletounderstandtheclassification
ofcoalbyrank,thecakingbehaviorofbituminous
coals,elementalcomposition,themacromolecular
structureofcoals,coalsasheterogeneoussolids,
physicalpropertiesofcoals,andcoalgasificationand
liquefactiontechnologies.
9/6/2022

5. 5© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 5© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 5© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Classification of coal by rank
•Labresearch/coalchemistry:basedonC-content
9/6/2022

6. 6© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 6© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 6© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
•Forpractical,industrialuse,coalsareclassifiedby
rankbasednotoncarboncontentbutratheron
behaviorduringutilization.
•Theconsiderationsinvolved:
•theamountofheatproducedwhenthecoalis
burned
•thebehaviorofcoalduringcombustion
•theirapplicationtomakingmetallurgicalcoke.
•Manycountrieshavetheirownsetsofstandardsfor
classifyingcoalsbyrank.Onewidelyusedsystemis
thatoftheAmericanSocietyforTestingand
Materials(ASTM).
•Theheatingvalue,orcalorificvalue,isdeterminedby
bombcalorimetry.
9/6/2022

7. 7© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 7© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 7© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
•All coals, as extracted from the ground, have some
amount of water associated with them.
•Brown coals sometimes have >50% of water with
the coal; i.e.the mined product is more water than
coal.
9/6/2022

8. 8© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 8© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 8© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Recording Standards or Basis for Coal Analysis
9/6/2022
Differentrecordingstandardsareusedfordifferentmeasurementsofcoalcomponents(modifiedfromWard,1984).
•https://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/coal-analyses-recording-standards.php
•Dry, mineral matter-free basis (Dmmf)

9. 9© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 9© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 9© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Proximate analysis
9/6/2022
FC: fixedcarbon
M: moisture
VM: volatilematter
A: ash
•The specific procedures of these determinations, as well as acceptable
limits of error are rigidly controlled by the test methods established by
national standards bodies such as ASTM.

10. 10© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 10© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 10© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
•Proximate analysis provides values for four parameters, but
only two –volatileandfixed carbon –relate to the
carbonaceous portion of the coal and to its combustion
behavior.
•Fuel ratio:
•The ratio of fixed carbon to volatile matter
•indication of
•how difficult the coal is to ignite
•how rapidly it will burn out
•quality of the flame
•Coals of high volatile matter content are usually easy to
ignite but burn quickly; produces large and smoky flame
upon burning.
•High fixed carbon content indicates coal that may be difficult
to ignite but burn more slowly; short & clean flame.
9/6/2022

11. 11© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 11© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 11© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Tutorial 1
•What is the proximate analysis of coal?
•How is coal analyzed by proximate analysis?
•What are the 4 proximate analysis?
•What is the main function of proximate analysis of
coal?
•What are the types of coal analysis?
9/6/2022

12. 12© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 12© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 12© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Classification of coals
9/6/2022

13. 13© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 13© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 13© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Classification of coals
9/6/2022

14. 14© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 14© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 14© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Classification of coals
9/6/2022
U.S. coal rank system showing the parameters used to define ranks.

15. 15© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 15© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 15© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
The caking behavior of bituminous coals
•Heatingcoalsinaninertatmospheredrivesoffvarious
volatilepyrolysisproducts.
•Whenthisexperimentisdonewithlow-rankcoals,or
withanthracites,thecarbonaceoussolidremainingisa
powderymaterialthatmightlookverymuchlikethe
original,unheatedsample.
•Thisdoesnothappentobituminouscoals.With
bituminouscoals,theresiduemayappeartohavefused
intoasingle,solidmass.
•IntheUnitedStates,thecakingbehaviorofcoalis
measuredbythefreeswellingindex(FSI).TheFSItest
usesacrucibleofstandardsize,inwhichthesampleof
coalisheatedat820°Cfor2.5mininaninert
atmopshere.
9/6/2022

16. 16© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 16© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 16© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
The caking behavior of bituminous coals
•Free-swellingindex(FSI)isameasureoftheincreasein
volumeofcoalwhenheatedunderspecifiedconditions
(ASTMD720;ISO335).T
•TheFSImethodisasmall-scaletestforobtaining
informationregardingthefree-swellingpropertiesofa
coal.
•Theresultsmaybeusedasanindicationofthecaking
characteristicofthecoalwhenburnedasafuel.
•Thevolumeincreasecanbeassociatedwiththeplastic
propertiesofcoal;coalsthatdonotexhibitplastic
propertieswhenheateddonotshowfreeswelling.
9/6/2022

17. 17© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 17© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 17© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
The caking behavior of bituminous coals
•Theamountofswellingdependsonthefluidityofthe
plasticcoal,thethicknessofbubblewallsformedbythe
gas,andinterfacialtensionbetweenthefluidandsolid
particlesinthecoal.
•Greaterswellingoccurswhentheabovefactorscause
moregastobetapped.
•FSIincreaseswhentherankforbituminous
coalsincreases.Although,forsomeindividualcoals,free
swellingindicesvary.Resultsforlow-rankcoalsare
lowerwhencomparedtobituminouscoals.
9/6/2022

18. 18© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 18© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 18© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:9/6/2022
The caking behavior of bituminous coals

19. 19© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 19© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 19© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
The caking behavior of bituminous coal
(cont’d)
•Comparingthesizeandshapeoftheresulting“button”
withaseriesofstandardoutlinesallowsassigninga
numericalvalueofFSIfrom1to9.
•Iftheheatedsampledoesnotformacoherentmass,
butjustfallsapartwhenremovedfromthecrucible,the
assignedFSIis0.
9/6/2022
•FSI increases when the rank for
bituminous coals increases.

20. 20© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 20© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 20© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
The caking behavior of bituminous coals
•IntheUnitedKingdom,thecakingpropertyisevaluated
intermsoftheBritishStandardSwellingNumber(BSS
No.
•ForaBSSNo.lessthan2.5,thesematerialshavevery
weakcakingproperties,orarenoncaking.Thesecoals
aresuitableforsteamraisingandotherfurnacesbutare
unsuitableforanyformofcarbonization.
•BSSNo.7–9arestronglycakingcoals.Thesecoalsare
toostronglycakingtobesuitableforcombustionin
furnacesorforuseingasworks.Thisrangeincludes
coalsthatarebestformakingmetallurgicalcokesin
cokeovens.
9/6/2022

21. 21© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 21© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 21© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
The caking behavior of bituminous coal
(cont’d)
•Caking behaviour →metallurgical coke
•Metallurgical coke is a refined carbon product that is
produced by heating bituminous coal at extremely high
temperature.
•Usage: used to make iron and steel
9/6/2022

22. 22© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 22© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 22© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Elemental composition
•Determiningtheprincipalelementsincoal-carbon,
hydrogen,nitrogen,sulfur,andoxygen–isreferredtoas
ultimateanalysis.Inthiscontext,thewordultimate
derivesfromanearlyusageinanalyticalchemistry,
indicatingdeterminationofelementalcomponents
withoutregardtohowtheyarearrangedinthemolecular
structure.
•Customarily,onlycarbon,hydrogen,nitrogen,and
sulfuraredetermineddirectly.Oxygenisthencalculated
from
O = 100 –(C + H + N + S)
•Inthisequation,theelementalsymbolsrefertothe
percentageofthecorrespondingelementsfoundinthe
sample.
9/6/2022

23. 23© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 23© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 23© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Elemental composition
9/6/2022

24. 24© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 24© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 24© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Elemental composition (cont’d)
9/6/2022

25. 25© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 25© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 25© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Elemental composition (cont’d)
9/6/2022

26. 26© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 26© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 26© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Elemental composition (cont’d)
•Thevariationofoxygenfunctionalgroupswithrank.The
principaloxygenfunctionalgroupsincoalsarecarboxylic
acids,phenols,quinones,andethers.Thesegroups
providesiteswherereactionsofthecoalcoldoccur.
Otheroxygenfunctionalgroups,suchasaliphatic
alcohols,andaldehydes,havelittleimportanceandmay
becompletelyabsent.
9/6/2022

27. 27© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 27© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 27© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Physical properties
•Densityisusuallymeasuredbydisplacementofafluid.
Becausecoalsareporous,theirapparentdensity
dependsonthefluidusedforthemeasurement,
particularlyontheabilityofthefluidmoleculesto
penetratetheporesystem.
•Apparentdensityisusefulinengineeringcalculations,
e.g.tosizereactorvesselsneededtocontainagiven
quantityofcoal.
•Figure17.16showsthevariationofapparentdensity,
measuredinmethanol,asafunctionofcarboncontent.
9/6/2022

28. 28© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 28© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 28© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Physical properties
9/6/2022

29. 29© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 29© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 29© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Physical properties (cont’d)
•Bulkdensitydependsonthevolumeoccupiedbya
givenmassofcoallumpsorparticles.Bulkdensity
varieswithparticlesizeandpackingefficiencyofthe
particles.Itconveysnofundamentalinformationabout
thestructureandpropertiesofcoals,buthasusein
estimatingtheweightofcoalthatcouldbeheld,in
e.g.,storagebins,trucks,orrailwaycars.
9/6/2022

30. 30© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 30© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 30© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Physical properties (cont’d)
•Thetotalsurfaceareaofaparticleiscomposedofthe
externalsurfaceoftheparticlesplustheinternal
surfacesonthewallsofpores.
•Inlignites,theinternalsurfacescontributeabout
90%ofthetotalsurfacearea.
•Ligniteshavesurfaceareaof~200m
2
/gwhen
measuredbyadsorptionofcarbondioxide.
•Withthehighestsurfaceareaandhighestporosity,
lignitesaregenerallyveryreactivecoals.
•Bituminouscoalshavelowerporositiesandtotal
surfaceareasthanlignites;withidentificalreagents
andreactionconditions,bituminouscoalsarelikely
tobelessreactivethanlignites.
•Anthracitesareslightlymoreporousthanthe
bituminuouscoals.
9/6/2022

31. 31© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 31© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 31© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Physical properties (cont’d)
•Miningproceduresgenerallyproducelargelumpsofcoal,
farlargerthancanbeaccommodatedoreffectivelyused
inutilizationprocesses.
•Thehardnessofcoal,anditssusceptibilitytobreaking,
areimportantpropertiesintransportationandhandling
ofcoal,aswellasinsizereductionoperationspriortoits
use.
•Friabilityexpressesthetendencyofcoaltobreak.
•Inthedropshattertest,asampleisallowedtofall2m
ontoasteelplate.
•Thesizestability,S,iscalculatedastheratioof
averageparticlesizeaftertest,Y,toaverageparticle
sizeoftheoriginalsample,X.
S = 100 (Y/X).
•Friability, F = 100S.
9/6/2022

32. 32© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 32© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 32© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Physical properties (cont’d)
•Grindabilityindicateshoweasyitistogrindcoaltoa
specifiedsizedistribution,fromalargersize
distributionofthefeed.
•TheHardgrovegrindabilityindex,HGI,was
developedinthe1930stoassessgrindingofcoals
forfeedingtoapulverized-coal-firedboiler.
•Moisturecontentaffectsgrindability,usuallyarange
ofvaluesisreportedforagivencoal.
9/6/2022

33. 33© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 33© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 33© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification
•Though,alargenumberofchemicalreactionsother
thanso-calledgasificationreactionsareinvolved.
•Eventhoughtheproductgasesofcoalgasification
involvecombustiblechemicalspecies,thepurposeof
gasificationisnotlimitedtogenerationofgaseousfuel,
becausetheproductgascanbeeasilyprocessedto
generateothervaluablechemicalandpetrochemical
feedstock.
9/6/2022
COAL GASIFICATION
Conversion of coal by certain processes to produce a
mixture of combustible gases.

34. 34© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 34© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 34© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification
The water-gas shift reaction (WGSR) describesthe reaction of carbon monoxide
and water vapor to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
9/6/2022

35. 35© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 35© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 35© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification (cont’d)
•Commercialgasificationofcoalgenerallyentailsthe
controlledpartialoxidationofthecoaltoconvertit
intodesiredgaseousproducts.Thecoalcanbe
heatedeitherdirectlybycombustionorindirectlyby
anotherheatsource.
•Agasifyingmediumistypicallypassedover(or
through)theheatedcoaltoprovideintimatemolecular
contactforchemicalreaction.Thegaseousreactants
reactwithcarbonaceousmattersofcoal(i.e.coal
hydrocarbons)orwithotherprimarydecomposition
productsofcoaltoproducegaseousproducts.
9/6/2022

36. 36© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 36© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 36© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification (cont’d)
•Notallthegaseousgeneratedbysuchprocessesare
desirablefromthestandpointsoffuelquality,further
processing,andenvironmentalissues.Therefore,coal
gasificationisalwaysperformedinconnectionwith
downstreamprocesses,notonlyforfinalapplications
butalsoforgas-cleaningpurposes.
•Theprimaryemphasesofcoalgasificationmaybeon
electricitygenerationviaintegratedgasification
combinedcycle(IGCC)types,onsyngasproduction
forpipelineapplications,onhydrogenproductionor
onsynthesisofliquidfuelsandpetrochemicalsas
alternativesourcesofrawmaterials.
9/6/2022

37. 37© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 37© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 37© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification (cont’d)
•Withtheadventofahydrogeneconomy,theroleofcoal
gasificationingenerationofhydrogenmaybecome
evenmoreimportant.
•Conversionofcoalfromitssolidformtoagaseousfuel
(orgaseouschemical)iswidelypracticedtoday.During
earlieryears(1920-1940),coalgasificationwasbeing
employedtoproducemanufacturedgasinhundredsof
plantsworldwide,andsuchplantswerecalled
manufacturedgasplants(MGPs).
•Thistechnologybecameobsoleteinthepost-WorldWar
IIerabecauseoftheabundantsupplyofpetroleumand
naturalgasataffordableprices.
9/6/2022

38. 38© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 38© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 38© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification (cont’d)
•Coalgasificationincludesaseriesofreactionsteps
thatconvertcoalcontainingC,H,andO,aswellas
impuritiessuchasandN,intosynthesisgasandother
formsofhydrocarbons.
•Thisconversionisgenerallyaccomplishedby
introducingagasifyingagent(air,oxygen,and/or
steam)intoareactorvesselcontainingcoalfeedstock
wherethetemperature,pressure,andflowpattern
(movingbed,fluidized,orentrainedbed)are
controlled.
9/6/2022

39. 39© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 39© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 39© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification (cont’d)
•Theproportionsoftheresultantproductgases
(CO,CO
2,CH
4,H
2,H
2O,N
2,H
2S,SO
2,etc)
dependon:
•typeofcoalanditscomposition
•thegasifyingagent/medium
•thermodynamicsandchemistryofthe
gasificationreactionsascontrolledbythe
processoperatingparameters.
9/6/2022

40. 40© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 40© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 40© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification
Coalgasificationtechnologycanbeutilizedinthe
followingenergysystemsofpotentialimportance:
1.Productionoffuelforuseinelectricpowergeneration
units
2.Manufacturingsyntheticorsubstitutenaturalgas
(SNG)foruseaspipelinegassupplies
3.Producinghydrogenforfuelcellapplications
4.Productionofsynthesisgasforuseasachemical
feedstock
5.Generationoffuelgas(low-Btuormedium-Btugas)
forindustrialpurposes
9/6/2022

41. 41© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 41© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 41© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification
•Coalisthelargestrecoverablefossilfuelresourcein
theUSaswellintheworld.Synthesisgasproduction
servesasthestartingpointforproductionofavariety
ofchemicals.
•ThesuccessoftheTennesseeEastmanCorpin
producingaceticanhydridefromcoalshowsthegreat
potentialofusingcoalaspetrochemicalfeedstock.
9/6/2022

42. 42© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 42© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 42© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification (cont’d)
•Amajorconcernforsuchatechnologyinvolvesthe
contaminantsincoal.
•Appreciableamountofsulfur–Catalystpoisoning.
•manycatalyststhatmightbeusedintheproductionof
chemicalsarehighlysusceptibletosulfurpoisoning.
•Non-negligibleamountsofalkalimetalcompounds
•contributetothefoulingandcorrosionofthereactor
vesselsintheformofslag.
•Anumberoftraceelements:
•affectdownstreamprocessesandpotentiallycreate
environmentalandsafetyrisks.
9/6/2022

43. 43© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 43© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 43© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification (cont’d)
•Ifcoalgasificationistobeadoptedtoproduceacertain
targetchemicals,thechoiceofthespecific
gasificationtechnologybecomesverycritical
becauseadifferentprocesswillproduceadifferent
quality(orcomposition)ofsynthesisgasaswellas
altertheeconomicsofproduction.
•Synthesisgas(SG)isaveryimportantstartingmaterial
forbothfuelsandpetrochemicals.Synthesisgasis
alsocalledsyngasorsyngas.Itcanbeobtainedfrom
varioussourcesincludingpetroleum,naturalgas,coal,
biomass,andevenmunicipalsolidwaste(MSWs).
9/6/2022

44. 44© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 44© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 44© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification (cont’d)
•Syngasisconvenientlyclassified,basedonits
principalcomposition,suchas:
•H
2-richgas
•CO-richgas
•CO
2-richgas
•CH
4-richgas,etc.
9/6/2022

45. 45© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 45© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 45© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal gasification (cont’d)
•Principalfuelsandchemicalsdirectlymadefrom
syngas:
•Secondaryfuelsandchemicalssynthesizedvia
methanolroutes:
9/6/2022
hydrogen,carbonmonoxide,methane,ammonia,methanol,
dimethylether,gasoline,dieselfuel,ethylene,isobutylene,
mixtureofC
2-C
4olefins,C
1-C
5alcohols,ethanol,ethylene
glycol,etc.
formaledhye,aceticacid,gasoline,dieselfuel,methylformate,
mehtylacetate,acetaldehyde,aceticanhydride,vinylacetate,
dimethylether,ethlyene,propylene,isobutylene,ethanol,C1-
C5alcohols,propionicacid,methyltert-butylether(MTBE),
ethyltert-butylether(ETBE),tert-amylmethylether(TAME),
benzne,toulene,xylenes,ethylacetate,amethylatingagent,
etc.

46. 46© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 46© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 46© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal liquefaction
•Eventhoughcoalhasareasonablyhighheatingvalueof
approximately8,000-14,000Btu/lb,itssolidstateisoneofthe
mainreasonsitisinconvenienttohandleasaconsumerfuel.To
makethissolidfueluser-friendlier,researchhasbeenongoingto
convertitintothepipeline-qualitygaseousfuelorcleanliquidfuel.
•Threeprincipalroutesbywhichliquidfuelscanbe
producedfromsolidcoal:
1)coalpyrolysis
2)directliquefaction
3)indirectliquefaction
9/6/2022

47. 47© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 47© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 47© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
1)coalpyrolysis
•subjectingcoaltohightemperatureof400–450°C,inthe
absenceofoxygen
9/6/2022

48. 48© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 48© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 48© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
1)directliquefaction
•contactingcoaldirectlywithacatalystatelevated
temperaturesandpressureswithaddedhydrogen(H
2),in
thepresenceofasolventtoformarawliquidproduct
whichisfurtherrefinedintoproductliquidfuels
9/6/2022

49. 49© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 49© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 49© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
1)indirectliquefaction
•gasificationtoproduceasynthesisgas(syngas);
•conversionofthecarbonmonoxide(CO)andhydrogen
(H
2)inthesyngastoarangeofhydrocarbonfuels/products
suchasgasoline,diesel,methanolandchemicals)
9/6/2022

50. 50© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 50© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 50© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal liquefaction (cont’d)
•DuringWorldWarII,productionofapproximately
100,000bbl/dofliquidfuelfromcoalwasreportedfor
theGermanwareffort.TheGermanliquefaction
processusedahigh-temperatureandhigh-pressure
technology,andtheproductliquidfuelswereof
environmentallypoorqualitybymodernenvironmental
standardsascleaningandrefiningwasminimal.
•Thecurrentprocessobjectivesofcoalliquefactionare
mainlyfocusedoneasingtheseverityofoperating
conditions,minimizingthehydrogenrequirement,and
makingtheliquidproductmoreenvironmentally
acceptable.
9/6/2022

51. 51© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 51© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 51© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Coal liquefaction (cont’d)
•Duetotherecenttrendtowardhigherandfluctuating
petroleumpricesintheworldmarket,therelative
processeconomicsofcoalliquefactionarechanging
muchmorefavorably.Consideringthevastamountof
coalreservesthroughouttheworldandtheglobal
distributionofmajordeposits,thisalternativeiseven
moreattractiveandalsoverypractical.
•Thereareinherenttechnologicaladvantageswithcoal
liquefaction,ascoalliquefactioncanproducecleanliquid
fuelsthatcanbesoldastransportationfuels.
Furthermore,propertiesofconventionaltransportation
fuels,requiringneithermajorinfrastructuralchangesin
distributionnorlifestylechangesforconsumers.
9/6/2022

52. 52© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 52© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 52© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
Tutorial/Activity 2
❑Discuss about Fuel Cell Technology and its
importance in energy utilization
❑Discuss the Underground Coal Gasification (UCG).
9/6/2022

53. 53© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 53© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated: 53© I-Station Solutions SdnBhd
Last Updated:
References
1.Schobert,H.(2013).ChemistryofFossilFuelsand
Biofuels,CambridgeUniversityPress.
2.Lee,S.,Speight,J.G.,Loyalka,S.K.(2007).
HandbookofAlternativeFuelTechnologies,Taylor&
Francis.
9/6/2022