Coal gasification studies: Part II. Reduction in the presence of I2 with H2, and H2O + metal,at pressures up to 3500 p.s.i. and temperatures of 600°C in all quartz reactors

An experimental method is described which allows coal reduction experiments to be made in all quartz reactors at temperatures up to 600°C and pressures of 3500 p.s.i. The method is applied to the study of the reactions: Coal + H₂O + I₂ + Metal(Metal = Fe, Cr, Mo, Ni, Sn, Zn); H₂O + I₂ + Metal, and Coal + H₂ + I₂. It is shown that iodine is a catalyst for the water + metal hydrogen-producing reactions, and that the composite systems with coal are capable with Cr and Zn of completely reducing coal to gaseous hydrocarbons at 600°C. Thermodynamic and kinetic data are used to show that iodine functions as a coal reduction catalyst in the presence of molecular hydrogen at 600°C by permitting a finite steady state hydrogen atom concentration to be attained in the system.