Constitution of tars from the flash pyrolysis of Australian coals: 1. Separation

Separation of the maltene fraction of Millmerran flash-pyrolysis coal tar by ion-exchange and adsorption chromatography produced coal-tar resins, aromatic hydrocarbons (AH) and an alkane/alkene fraction. The coal-tar resins comprise acid, base, neutral and polyfunctional fractions. Derivatives of benzene and naphthalene are the main volatile constituents of the AH fraction, while the alkane/alkene fraction consists mainly of straight-chain hydrocarbons from C₁₀ to C₃₄ and small amounts of isoprenoid hydrocarbons, steranes and triterpanes. Fuller's Earth, used in the separation of the maltenes, suffers from the disadvantage of irreversibly adsorbing organic material.