Influence of coal preoxidation and the relation between char structure and gasification potential

A study was carried out to ascertain the effects of coal preoxidation and carbonization conditions on the structure and relative gasification potential of a series of bituminous coal chars. Chars were prepared from two freshly mined bituminous coals and preoxidized samples derived from them. Carbonization conditions included a wide range of heating rate (0.2–10000K s^?1), temperature (1073–1273 K) and time (0.25–3600 s). Char properties were characterized in terms of analysis of char morphology, surface area, elemental composition, and gasification reactivity in air. Over the range of conditions used, preoxidation substantially reduced coal fluid behaviour and influenced macroscopic char properties (char morphology). Following slow heating (0.2 K s^?1), preoxidized coals yielded chars having higher total surface areas and higher reactivities toward gasification in air than did similar chars prepared from fresh coal. Following rapid heating (10000 K s^?1) and short residence times (0.25 s), chars prepared from preoxidized and fresh coals exhibited similar microstructural and chemical properties (surface area, $\text{C}\text{H}$ ratios, gasification rates). Carbonization time and temperature were found to be the critical parameters influencing char structure and gasification potential.     

热解条件对煤焦气化活性影响的研究进展

简述了原煤性质与温度、压力和热解气氛等热解条件对煤焦结构和气化反应活性的影响;参考该领域的国内外研究成果,分析了热解条件影响煤焦气化反应活性的机理.由于实验设备和研究方法的差异,对温度和压力等热解条件对煤焦气化反应活性影响的评价不尽相同,但总体来讲,热解终温越高、停留时间越长、升温速率越快、热解压力越大,煤焦的气化反应活性越低;热解过程中,原煤性质的差异也会影响煤焦的结构和气化反应活性.煤焦的石墨化应该是导致煤焦气化反应活性下降的主要原因,因此,热解条件的改变,特别是温度和压力的改变对煤焦石墨化进程的影响值得进一步研究.     

Gasification performance of torrefied Timothy hay and spruce wood chars in a CO2 environment

Timothy hay abundantly available in New Brunswick, Canada, is mostly used for animal feed and bedding. Upgrading biomass using Torrefaction method can offer benefits in its waste management, energy density and energy conversion efficiency. Temperature and residence time play an important role in the torrefaction process. Meanwhile, CO₂ gasification is also a promising thermochemical conversion process due to its potential to reduce net GHG emissions and tune syngas composition. This study investigates the impact of torrefaction parameters on isothermal and non-isothermal CO₂ gasification of Timothy hay and spruce chars. Timothy hay chars exhibited higher CO₂ gasification reactivity than chars from spruce. The physicochemical properties analysis indicated that higher reactivity of Timothy hay char was mainly attributed to the high amount of alkali and alkaline earth metal (AAEM) content, relatively large BET surface area, a high number ofactive sites, and a low crystalline index. Moreover, in both experimental cases, char derived through a high heating rate and high residence time conditions exhibited improved gasification performance, which was attributed to the generation of large amounts of AAEM (Ca and K) and high specific surface area. Co-gasification results during non-isothermal processes under CO₂ showed the presence of larger interactions in coal char/Timothy hay char blends than that of coal char/spruce char blends. For both experimental conditions, interactions were enhanced once the char prepared from high heating rate and high residence time was gasified with coal char. Thus, the proposed approach is a sustainable way of conversion of Timothy hay under CO₂ environment.     

Catalytic gasification of char from co-pyrolysis of coal and biomass

The catalytic gasification of char from co-pyrolysis of coal and wheat straw was studied. Alkali metal salts, especially potassium salts, are considered as effective catalysts for carbon gasification by steam and CO₂, while too expensive for industry application. The herbaceous type of biomass, which has a high content of potassium, may be used as an inexpensive source of catalyst by co-processing with coal. The reactivity of chars from co-pyrolysis of coal and straw was experimentally examined. The chars were prepared in a spout-entrained reactor with different ratios of coal to straw. The gasification characteristics of chars were measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The co-pyrolysis chars revealed higher gasification reactivity than that of char from coal, especially at high level of carbon conversion. The influence of the alkali in the char and the pyrolysis temperature on the reactivity of co-pyrolysis char was investigated. The experimental results show that the co-pyrolysis char prepared at 750 °C have the highest alkali concentration and reactivity.     

The physical character of coal char formed during rapid pyrolysis at high pressure

Rapid pyrolysis was conducted in a drop tube reactor using seven coals under various operating conditions. In addition to dense char, porous chars (network char and cenospheric char) were formed by the rapid pyrolysis under certain conditions. Porous char was mainly composed of film-like carbon and skeleton carbon. The pyrolyzed coal char particles were characterized in detail. Morphology and bulk density of porous char were quite different from the dense char formed under the same conditions, but elemental composition and BET surface area were similar to each other. CO₂ gasification reactivity of porous char was lower than dense char in the later gasification stage, and this was ascribed to the low reactivity of skeleton carbon.     

Reactivities of 34 coals under steam gasification

The reactivities of 34 coal chars of varying rank with H₂O have been determined to examine the effect of coal rank on the gasification rate of coal char. The reactivities of chars derived from caking coals and anthracites (carbon content > 78 wt%, daf) were very small compared with those from non-caking (lower-rank) coals. The reactivities of low-rank chars do not correlate with the carbon content of the parent coals. To clarify which factor is more important in determining the reactivity, the evolution of CO and CO₂ from char, the moisture content of char and the amount of exchangeable cations were determined for these low-rank coals or their chars. These values were considered to represent the amount of active carbon sties, the porosity and the catalysis by inherent mineral matters, respectively. It was concluded that the amount of surface active sites and/or the amount of exchangeable Ca and Na control the reactivity of low-rank chars in H₂O.     

Effects of alkaline metal on coal gasification at pyrolysis and gasification phases

A Chinese high-rank coal was acid-washed and ion-exchanged with Na and K to prepare the H-form, Na-form and K-form coals. After pyrolysis, H-form, Na-form and K-form chars and two additional H-form chars (acid washed Na-form and K-form chars) were prepared to investigate the effects of alkaline metal (AM) on coal gasification at the pyrolysis and gasification phases. The H-form char had the highest pryolysis rate; the H-form char had a relative low gasification rate. The AM loaded coals exhibited relative low pyrolysis rate, while the corresponding chars had high gasification reactivity. Acid-washing reduced the reactivities of Na-form and K-form chars. AM inhibited the progress of graphitization of the base carbon resulting in a more reactive char of less ordered crystalline carbon structure. A kinetic model incorporating AM-catalyzed gasification and non-catalytic gasification was developed to describe the gasification rate changes in the char conversion for AM-catalyzed gasification of chars.     

Gasification kinetics of five coal chars with CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> at elevated pressure

For five coals, the reactivity of char-CO₂ gasification was investigated with a pressurized thermogravimetric analyzer (PTGA) in the temperature range 850-1,000 C and the total pressure range 0.5-2.0 MPa. The effect of coal rank, initial char characteristics and pressure on the reaction rate were evaluated for five coal chars. The reactivity of low lank coal char was better than that of high rank coal char. It was found that Meso/macro-pores of char markedly affect char reactivity by way of providing channels for diffusion of reactant gas into the reactive surface area. Over the range of tested pressure, the reaction rate is proportional to CO₂ partial pressure and the reaction order ranges from about 0.4 to 0.7 for five chars. Kinetic parameters, based on the shrinking particle model, were obtained for five chars.     

Effect of lignite pyrolysis conditions on calcium oxide dispersion and subsequent char reactivity

A demineralized North Dakota lignite was loaded with 2.9 wt% Ca by ion exchange. Chars were prepared by pyrolysis in N₂ at 1275 K and residence times between 0.3 s and 1 h. Major differences were observed in their subsequent reactivities in 0.1 MPa air. X-ray diffraction analysis was carried out to obtain information on the state and dispersion of the Ca species on the various chars. The results clearly indicate that CaO is the predominant species responsible for catalysis of lignite char gasification. It is concluded that pyrolysis residence time also has a profound effect on CaO dispersion. Thus, a correlation was established between a fundamental physical property (catalyst dispersion) and the observed gasification behaviour of lignite chars prepared under different pyrolysis conditions.     

Chemical reduction of sulphur dioxide to free sulphur with lignite and coal. 2. Kinetics and proposed mechanism

The reactivity of lignite and different ranks of coal with sulphur dioxide has been investigated in a corrosive-gas, thermogravimetric reactor system. With all coals, the reaction occurred in two distinct stages. A rapid initial stage was controlled primarily by the devolatilization rate of the coal. The second stage limited the overall rate and was controlled by surface properties of the coal char. The portion of lignite associated with the second stage of reaction exhibited a much higher rate of SO₂ reduction than the corresponding material from all other coals. Correlation of the data showed an inverse relation between the reactivity of coal chars and the relative rank of the parent coal. Activation energies associated with the reduction of SO₂ by the coal chars increased slightly from 134 kJ mol^?1 for lignite char to 150 kJ mol^?1 for HVB bituminous coal char. The higher reactivity of lignite or lower-rank coals was due in part to entropy factors or available catalytic sites on the surface of coal. Formation of a thermally stable CS complex on the surface of coal appeared to poison the surface and thus limit further reaction. Alkali and alkaline earth metals in lignite served as active sites for catalysing the reaction of SO₂ with the CS complex and thus enhanced the rate of SO₂ reduction with lignite.     

Low-temperature air oxidation of caking coals. 1. Effect on subsequent reactivity of chars produced

The effect of preoxidation of two highly caking coals in the temperature range 120–250 °C on weight loss during pyrolysis in a N₂ atmosphere up to 1000 °C and reactivity of the resultant chars in 0.1 MPa air at 470 °C has been investigated. Preoxidation markedly enhances char reactivity (by a factor of up to 40); the effect on char reactivity is more pronounced for lower levels of preoxidation. For a given level of preoxidation, the oxidation temperature and the presence of water vapour in the air used during preoxidation have essentially no effect on weight loss during pyrolysis and char reactivity. An increase in particle size of the caking coals reduces the rate of preoxidation as well as subsequent char reactivity. Preoxidation of caking coals sharply increases the surface area of the chars produced. Compared to heat treatment in a N₂ atmosphere, pyrolysis in H₂ of either the as-received or preoxidized coal results in a further increase in weight loss and a decrease in subsequent char reactivity.     

Gasification rate analysis of coal char with a pressurized drop tube furnace

Two coal chars were gasified with carbon dioxide or steam using a Pressurized Drop Tube Furnace (PDTF) at high temperature and pressurized conditions to simulate the inside of an air-blown two-stage entrained flow coal gasifier. Chars were produced by rapid pyrolysis of pulverized coals using a DTF in a nitrogen gas flow at 1400°C. Gasification temperatures were from 1100 to 1500°C and pressures were from 0.2 to 2 MPa. As a result, the surface area of the gasified char increased rapidly with the progress of gasification up to about six times the size of initial surface area and peaked at about 40% of char gasification. These changes of surface area and reaction rate could be described with a random pore model and a gasification reaction rate equation was derived. Reaction order was 0.73 for gasification of the coal char with carbon dioxide and 0.86 for that with steam. Activation energy was 163 kJ/mol for gasification with carbon dioxide and 214 kJ/mol for that with steam. At high temperature as the reaction rate with carbon dioxide is about 0.03 s⁻¹, the reaction rate of the coal char was controlled by pore diffusion, while that of another coal char was controlled by surface reaction where reaction order was 0.49 and activation energy was 261 kJ/mol.     

CO2 gasification rate analysis of coal char in entrained flow coal gasifier

Coal chars of four coal types were gasified with carbon dioxide using a PDTF or TGA at high temperature and pressure. Test conditions of temperature and partial pressure of the gasifying agent were determined to simulate the conditions in air-blown or oxygen-blown entrained flow coal gasifiers. Coal chars were produced by rapid pyrolysis of pulverized bituminous coals using a DTF with a nitrogen gas flow at 1670 K. In gasification tests with the PDTF, gasification temperatures were 1670 K or below and partial pressures of carbon dioxide were 0.7 MPa or below. Carbon monoxide of 0.6 MPa or below was supplied for the gasification tests with the TGA.As a result, coal types showed a large difference in the char gasification rate with carbon dioxide, and this difference remained large without decreasing even in the high-temperature area when the gasification rate was controlled by pore diffusion the same as in entrained flow gasifiers. Inhibition of the gasification reaction by carbon monoxide was also observed. Reaction rate equations of both the nth order and Langmuir-Hinshelwood type were applied to the char gasification reaction with the random pore model and the effectiveness factor, and the applicability of these rate equations to air-blown and oxygen-blown entrained flow gasifiers evaluated. Gasification rate equations and kinetic parameters applicable to a pore diffusion zone at high temperature were obtained for each coal.     

Effect of pressure on gasification reactivity of three Chinese coals with different ranks

The gasification reactivities of three kinds of different coal ranks (Huolinhe lignite, Shenmu bituminous coal, and Jincheng anthracite) with CO₂ and H₂O was carried out on a self-made pressurized fixed-bed reactor at increased pressures (up to 1.0 MPa). The physicochemical characteristics of the chars at various levels of carbon conversion were studied via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and BET surface area. Results show that the char gasification reactivity increases with increasing partial pressure. The gasification reaction is controlled by pore diffusion, the rate decreases with increasing total system pressure, and under chemical kinetic control there is no pressure dependence. In general, gasification rates decrease for coals of progressively higher rank. The experimental results could be well described by the shrinking core model for three chars during steam and CO₂ gasification. The values of reaction order n with steam were 0.49, 0.46, 0.43, respectively. Meanwhile, the values of reaction order n with CO₂ were 0.31, 0.28, 0.26, respectively. With the coal rank increasing, the pressure order m is higher, the activation energies increase slightly with steam, and the activation energy with CO₂ increases noticeably. As the carbon conversion increases, the degree of graphitization is enhanced. The surface area of the gasified char increases rapidly with the progress of gasification and peaks at about 40% of char gasification.     

The pyrolysis of a Wyoming coal in different nonreactive atmospheres

This study investigated how differing nonreactive atmospheres affected the properties of chars produced by coal pyrolysis. Samples of a Wyoming subbituminous coal were first heated at 586°C in helium for 6 hr. They were then heated for another 6 hr at 300°C higher in helium, argon or nitrogen. Weight losses in the chars during the second step were apparently unaffected by the choice of inert environment. Surface characteristics, pore structures, and reactivities of the resulting chars were, however, significantly different as shown by the results of scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, carbon dioxide adsorption, and reactivity of the chars in carbon dioxide. Smoothness of the surface, adsorption capacities, N₂ and CO₂ surface areas, and reactivity during gasification all decreased in the direction (in order of inert atmospheres employed) He >Ar >N₂. In addition, there were strong indications that trace contaminants in the inert gases could alter the characteristics of the resulting char markedly.     

Fate of the chlorine and fluorine in a sub-bituminous coal during pyrolysis and gasification

The fate of the chlorine and fluorine present in a sub-bituminous coal from Indonesia during pyrolysis and gasification has been studied with fixed and entrained bed reactors. The rate profile for HCl evolved in the temperature programmed pyrolysis exhibits the main and shoulder peaks at 480 and 600 °C, respectively. Model experiments and subsequent Cl 2p XPS measurements show that HCl reacts with metal impurities and carbon active sites at 500 °C to be retained as inorganic and organic chlorine forms, from which HCl evolves again at elevated temperatures. It is suggested that the HCl observed in the coal pyrolysis may originate from the above-mentioned chlorine functionalities formed by secondary reactions involving the nascent char. In the CO₂ gasification of the 900 °C char at 1000 °C and 2.5 MPa, any measurable amounts of HCl and HF could not be detected even at a high conversion of 75 wt% (daf), suggesting the accumulation of these halogens in the residual char. When the coal is injected into an O₂-blown, entrained bed gasifier at 1200-1400 °C under 2.6 MPa, the partial oxidation proceeds to a larger extent at a higher O₂/coal ratio, whereas the chlorine and fluorine are enriched in the remaining char, and the extent of the enrichment at the latter stage of gasification is larger with the fluorine. The XPS measurements of the chars reveal the presence of the broad F 1 s peak, which can cover a wide range of binding energies attributable to inorganic and organic fluorine. The halogen enrichment during gasification is discussed in terms of secondary reactions of HCl and HF with char.     

CO2 gasification of wood charcoals derived from vacuum and atmospheric pyrolysis

The gasification of biomass derived char obtained via vacuum and atmospheric pyrolysis of Populus tremuloides has been studied in the ranges of 725–960°C and 0.1 to 6 MPa. CO₂ was used as the oxidizing gas. The results show that char reactivity is influenced by the preheating rates and that pressure effects are significant between 850°C and 950°C. A correlation based on the expression: df/dt = k₀{exp(-E/RT)}(1 - f)^af^βP^yCO₂ was used to fit the experimental data. In general, vacuum pyrolysis derived char showed a higher reactivity than atmospheric pyrolysis chars. An explanation based on a higher oxygen content of the vacuum pyrolysis char is suggested.     

Reactivity of Australian coal-derived chars to carbon dioxide

The reactivities to CO₂ of four chars derived from Australian coals at 610 °C, were measured thermogravimetrically. Reaction rates in 100% CO₂ (total pressure, 101 kPa) varied from 0.026 mg h^?1 mg^?1 at 803 °C for char derived from a Lithgow coal to 6.3 mg h^?1 mg^?1 at 968 °C for a Millmerran coal char. Activation energies for the four chars were in the range 219–233 kJ mol^?1. The results show that for Lithgow (Hartley Vale) coal char, reactivity increases with CO₂ concentration and decreasing particle size. The apparent reaction order for this char with respect to CO₂ concentration was found to be 0.7. For different chars, reactivity is inversely proportional to the rank of the parent coal. No general correlation has been established between total mineral content (ash) and char reactivity.     

Volatilisation and catalytic effects of alkali and alkaline earth metallic species during the pyrolysis and gasification of Victorian brown coal. Part IV. Catalytic effects of NaCl and ion-exchangeable Na in coal on char reactivity

The purpose of this study is to investigate the catalytic effects of Na as NaCl or as sodium carboxylates (-COONa) in Victorian brown coal on the char reactivity. A Na-exchanged coal and a set of NaCl-loaded coal samples prepared from a Loy Yang brown coal were pyrolysed in a fluidised-bed/fixed-bed reactor and in a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA). The reactivities of the chars were measured in air at 400 °C using the TGA. The experimental data indicate that the Na in coal as NaCl and as sodium carboxylates (-COONa) had very different catalytic effects on the char reactivity. It is the chemical form and dispersion of Na in char, not in coal, that govern the catalytic effects of Na. For the Na-form (Na-exchanged) coal, the char reactivity increased with increasing pyrolysis temperature from 500 to 700 °C and then decreased with pyrolysis temperature from 700 to 900 °C. The increase in reactivity with pyrolysis temperature (500-700 °C) is mainly due to the changes in the relative distribution of Na in the char matrix and on the pore surface. For the NaCl-loaded coals, when Cl was released during pyrolysis or gasification, the Na originally present in coal as NaCl showed good catalytic effects for the char gasification. Otherwise, Cl would combine with Na in the char to form NaCl during gasification, preventing Na from becoming an active catalyst. Controlling the pyrolysis conditions to favour the release of Cl can be a promising way to transform NaCl in coal into an active catalyst for char gasification.     

An experimental investigation into the gasification reactivity of chars prepared at high temperatures

The gasification activities of three kinds of Binxian chars with carbon dioxide were studied at 1000–1300 °C and under atmospheric pressure in self-made thermal balance. The specific surface area of coal or chars was determined with BET methods during gasification. The results showed that the reaction rate of two rapid pyrolysis chars increases at the beginning and decreases subsequently with increasing carbon conversion at relatively high temperatures. The heating rate of coal has a significant effect on the gasification process. The activation energy of slow pyrolysis char varies between 160 kJ/mol and 180 kJ/mol during gasification. The activation energy of the two rapid pyrolysis chars displays a linear trend when the carbon conversion is less than 40% and decreases slowly afterwards.