UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL - UFRGS DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEE

RING TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL TOPICS IN INORGANIC I

COAL
Porto Alegre, March 21, 2003.
1 - INTRODUCTION
Coal is a fossil fuel that originated from the deposition of plant debris under
the water surface, preventing its oxidation. Over time, these deposits have been
buried by ash. This gradual burial led to an increase in temperature and pressu
re on organic matter, expelling the oxygen and hydrogen (process carbonificação)
, concentrating the carbon, which is the basis of fossil fuel called coal. Its u
tility covers a broad field that covers briefly the generation of electricity an
d heat.
2 - COAL
Coal is formed by the stems, roots, branches and leaves of giant trees that grew
250 million years ago in shallow marshes. These plant parts, after death, were
deposited on the muddy bottom and were covered up. Time and pressure of the eart
h that has accumulated on the material in a black mass transformaramno homogenou
s - the coal seams. The coal - or just coal - fossil fuel is a solid formed from
the organic matter of plants deposited in sedimentary basins. By the action of
pressure and temperature environment without contact with air, due to burial and
orogenic activity, the plant remains over geological time have been solidified,
they lose oxygen and hydrogen and are enriched in carbon, in a process called c
arbonificação. The more intense the pressure and temperature at which the layer
of plant material is subjected, and the longer the process, the higher the degre
e of carbonificação reached, or rank, and higher quality coal. The various stage
s of carbonificação, from lowest to highest rank, are given by the scheme: the p
eat to lignite coal sapropelito to betuminosoà sub-bituminous coal to anthracite
. The stage floor for the industrial use of coal is of lignite. Another qualitat
ive index of coal is grade, which measures inversely proportional to the percent
age mass of incombustible mineral matter (ash) present in the coal layer. Low gr
ade means that coal has a high percentage of ash mixed with carbonaceous materia
l, consequently, poorer quality. Schematic and simplified way, are the following
main changes that occur during carbonificação geochemistry Ø formation of peat
Modifications: - reduction of moisture - a reduction in porosity - the loss of v
olatiles (functional groups OH-and COOH-), the formation of lignite Modification
s - reduction of porosity - a reduction in moisture (due to increased porosity a
nd the functional group OH-) - increasing the calorific value - the release of O
H-and COOH-and C = O, markedly in the early stages - the increase of C content Ø
formation of coal Modifications: - reduction of moisture - increasing the calor
ific value - dimiuição marked the volatile matter - increasing the carbon conten
t of anthracite formation Ø
Changes: - rapid decrease of hydrogen content - marked increase in refletência (
due to increased process of gratification) - release of large quantities of meth
ane (associated with loss of hydrogen) Gradually, from the time of the great dis
coveries, coal was replacing the wood, until then regarded as the main source of
energy used by man. The direct combustion of coal to produce steam, was the mai
n lever for humanity's progress toward industrialization. Currently, the main us
e of direct combustion of coal is for electricity generation through thermal pla
nts. This technology is well developed and is economically competitive. The envi
ronmental impacts of coal plants are large, not only by atmospheric emissions, b
ut also for the disposal of solid waste and thermal pollution, and risks inheren
t in mining. Improving the combustion process could reduce emissions of carbon m
onoxide and nitrogen from flue gas desulfurization or the use of coal with low s
ulfur content. And also the residual heat from the plant could be used in its vi
cinity, to avoid energy losses, such as: heating boilers, drive motors, etc. ..
2.1 - Coal Gasification
The gasification of coal is carried from the first half of the nineteenth centur
y and aims to convert coal into synthetic fuel for direct application in energy
production. There are many industrial processes of coal gasification,€and Brazil
have already mastered this technology. The environmental impacts and risks to w
orkers in plants are those related to mining and ore transportation, and also th
e problems of processing, such as fire hazards and human exposure to carcinogens
, and exposure to high temperatures. SOLID WASTE WATER CO + H2 + OTHER + 1) C +
H2O 2) C + CO2 3) 4 C + O2) C + 2H2 5) CO + H2O CO + H2 CH4 CO2 2CO CO2 + H2
2.2 - Coal Liquefaction
Coal, until 1961, was the main source of world primary energy, when it was overt
aken by oil. However, it remains today as the prime energy source, since his con
version produces synthetic liquid fuel that is most similar to the naturally occ
urring oil. The process of coal liquefaction is very recent and aims to transfor
m the coal, which is found in nature in solid, liquid fuel.
However, the availability of large deposits of coal and low cost of charcoal fue
l that still confer a relevant role.
2.3 - Coking
Among the properties of coking coal are related to the rank, the properties of b
inders, the grindability and the characteristics of the ash. The rank is related
to the softening and viscosity, while petrographic sets the ratio between react
ive and inert constituents.
2.4 - Pyrolysis
The carbonization of coal is an example of chemical conversion. When coal underg
oes thermal pyrolysis under air, turns into various solids, liquids and gases. T
he nature and quantity of each product depends on the temperature used for pyrol
ysis and the kind of coal. The theory of chemical pyrolysis of coal is divided i
nto stages, the first of which says that as the temperature rises, the "ties bet
ween aliphatic carbons are the first to break up." They are then severed all lin
ks between carbon and hydrogen when the temperature reaches close to 6000C and t
he decomposition reactions that occur are essentially eliminate the heterocyclic
complexes and lead to a gradual aromatization. As the carbonization temperature
increases, the average molecular weight of the volatile intermediate products i
s constantly decreasing. This decrease is marked by the departure of water, carb
on monoxide, hydrogen, methane and other hydrocarbons. At the end of the decompo
sition reaches a maximum between 600 and 8000C The higher the carbon content, th
e greater also is the power energy. Therefore, the peat, which yields very low a
nd high percentages of moisture, can not always be used as fuel, and in this cas
e serves to increase the composition of soil organic matter. Found in low meadow
s, or old ponds crowded, peat is characterized by the presence of abundant remai
ns still preserved stems and roots. Already the lignite, much more compact than
the peat, is used in steelmaking, such as gear, thanks to its ability to transfe
r oxygen to the combustion as a raw material in carbochemistry. When the lignite
appears bright and dark, is called the jet. The coal is composed of carbon, par
tially preserved plant remains, volatile elements, minerals and waste water. It
is used both as fuel and as reducing the oxides of iron and, thanks to its impur
ities, the synthesis of thousands of substances for industrial use. The anthraci
te coal last variety that emerged in the process of encarbonização, characterize
d by high fixed carbon content, low volatile compounds, glossy black, stiffness
and difficulty with burning, given its paucity of flammable components. It is us
ed as a reductant in the metallurgical industry in the manufacture of graphite e
lectrodes and artificial. One of its main advantages is to provide pure flame, n
o soot. The coal at any of its phases, consists of an organic part, formed of ma
cromolecules of carbon and hydrogen and small amounts of oxygen, sulfur and nitr
ogen. This is the useful part, due to its strong fuel. The other mineral part co
ntains silicates that make up the gray. The proportions of these elements vary w
ith the degree of progress of encarbonização: the more advanced, higher carbon c
ontent in the organic part and the lower the oxygen content. Because of this com
plex structure and variable, coal presents various types. Their use for industri
al purposes is subject to a classification that builds on the production of vola
tile matter and the nature of the residue. Thus, there
coals intended for production of gas, steam or coke, which is an amorphous carbo
n, resulting from ignition of coal, and broad application in the steel industry.
€For combustion in boilers, coal is preferable to small amounts of ash and moder
ate amounts of volatile matter, conditions that provide good thermal performance
. It is also preferable to provide a minimum of sulfur and high calorific value,
since the heat it generates will be used directly or processed into other forms
of energy. For the production of metallurgical coke with mechanical properties
for use in blast furnaces, coal caking properties must display even higher and l
ower levels of sulfur and ash. In the distillation of coal to produce fuel gas o
r coke, also obtained by ammonia water, which are extracted ammonia and tar. Alt
hough the oil products - like gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil and diesel - and ther
monuclear energy have moved coal as an energy source, especially for mobile mach
ines, is still significant share in total energy consumption of developed countr
ies - about twenty percent in the late twentieth century. The operation of hundr
eds of hydroelectric and thermonuclear failed to decrease drastically, as expect
ed, the share of coal, not only because these energy sources represent major inv
estments and has serious impacts on the environment, but also because the availa
bility of large deposits of coal is still grande.Tabela 1: Calorific Values of F
uels SOLID FUELS Carbon, Graphite Anthracite Coal Bituminous Coal Lignite Coke C
harcoal Wood (air dried) peat (air dried) CALORIES PER KG 7839.80 7064.90 5.229,
10 8.2888,70 7.231,78 7.009,20 3.894,00 3.838,40 3.894,00 FUEL CHEMICAL Aluminum
Beryllium Boron diborane Hydrogen Lithium Hydride Lithium Magnesium Silicon Tit
anium pentaboranes Silano CALORIES PER KG 7404.20 16221.40 17461.90 13 974 28707
.40 9885.20 10269.10 5918.90 16215.80 9545.90 7320.70 4556
The Fuel Heating value is measured by the metric system in calorie. Chemical fue
ls, liquids and solids are measured by weight. Gaseous fuels are measured by vol
ume. The calorific value of fuel depends on its composition, its weight and its
ash content.