Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2004
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
Department
Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Committee Chair
Eung Ha Cho.
Abstract
Wet desulfurization of Pittsburgh No. 8 coal and Illinois No. 6 coal were conducted with sodium hypochlorite in the laboratory. Pittsburgh No. 8 coal was leached by hypochlorite at high pHs in one step only. The hypochlorite concentration varied from 0.2 to 0.6 molar; sodium hydroxide concentration, from 0.2 to 0.8 molar; and temperature was at the levels of 80 and 90°C. The desulfurization of Illinois No. 6 coal was conducted in three consecutive steps of pretreatment in concentrated ammonia at room temperature, leaching with hypochlorite at room temperature and hydrolysis in a sodium hydroxide solution at 90°C. In the leaching step, hypochlorite concentration varied from 0.2 to 0.8 molar.;The desulfurization method of Pittsburgh No. 8 coal was found to reduce mainly pyritic sulfur. More than 70% of pyritic sulfur removal was achieved at the optimum conditions of 0.4 molar hypochlorite, 0.4 molar sodium hydroxide and 90°C. The desulfurization method for Illinois No. 6 coal was capable of reducing significant amounts of organic sulfur. The removal of organic sulfur achieved a 37.8% reduction at the optimum operation of leaching at 0.4 molar hypochlorite and room temperature followed by hydrolysis at 0.3 molar sodium hydroxide and 90°C. The chlorine content in the coal produced by the chlorination during leaching was kept below the threshold value of 0.3% at the optimum conditions of the desulfurization method for each coal.
Recommended Citation
Li, Wei, "Coal desulfurization with sodium hypochlorite" (2004). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 1498.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/1498