Reaction of pyritic sulphur in coal with lime and calcined dolomite during the coking process

Various reactions occur between pyrite (FeS₂) in coal and CaO to form CaS when a finely pulverized intimate mixture of coal and CaO is coked at 900 °C in an inert atmosphere. The effectiveness of lime and calcined dolomite (CaO.MgO) in promoting this reaction has been evaluated; calcined dolomite is somewhat more effective than lime over coal/ oxide weight ratios from 2.8 to 14. The degree of conversion of pyrite to calcium sulphide at a coal/calcined dolomite weight ratio of 7 has been determined as a function of time at 900 °C; coking time in excess of 2.5 h does not have a significant effect. It has been shown that the total sulphur lost on coking coal/lime mixtures decreases and the percentage of FeS, originating from the dissociation of pyrite, converted to CaS increases as the amount of lime added increases. But although the total sulphur content of coke produced in the presence of CaO is then higher than when the coal is coked without lime, the pyritic sulphur has been converted to CaS which is more amenable to chemical conversion to H₂S. A method is outlined for determining CaS in the coked mixture in the presence of FeS.