Liquefaction of partially dried and oxidized coals: 1. Coal drying and oxidation

Belle Ayr subbituminous coal was dried with gases including nitrogen, air, and nitrogen-air mixtures (simulated flue gases) to study the effect of drying on the coal characteristics in preparation for subsequent liquefaction experiments. Drying was carried out in micro-, laboratory- and bench-scale units at temperatures from ambient to 200 °C. The net moisture-free oxygen content of the coal increased with time and temperature to 3 wt%. Volatile oxygen-containing species, other than carbon oxides, that may have been released during drying were not investigated as the objective was to characterize oxidation kinetics and changes in coal properties. Two distinct kinetic regimes of oxygen consumption were observed during drying; an initial high-rate period of E_A?42–55 kJ mol^?1 followed by one of low rate, E_A?13 kJ mol^?1. A Powhatan No. 5 (Pittsburgh seam) bituminous coal, which initially had much lower oxygen content than the Belle Ayr coal (7.9 versus 23.3 wt%), gave analogous drying and oxidation results; however, the maximum net moisture-free oxygen uptake was ≈8 wt%.