Comparison between the reactivity of coal and synthetic coal models

A mixture of carbon compounds was pyrolysed under an inert atmosphere at different temperatures in a fixed bed reactor. The resultant chars were characterised in terms of texture and thermal behaviour. Textural characterisation of the chars was carried out by N2 and CO2 adsorption isotherms at −196...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Authors: Arenillas de la Puente, Ana, Pevida García, Covadonga, Rubiera González, Fernando, Pis Martínez, José Juan
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2003
Country:España
Institution:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repository:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/103108
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/103108
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Coal char reactivity
Textural properties
Model compounds
Description
Summary:A mixture of carbon compounds was pyrolysed under an inert atmosphere at different temperatures in a fixed bed reactor. The resultant chars were characterised in terms of texture and thermal behaviour. Textural characterisation of the chars was carried out by N2 and CO2 adsorption isotherms at −196 and 0 °C, respectively. Char isothermal reactivity in air at 500 °C, and in CO2 at 1000 °C, was performed in a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA). Temperature-programmed combustion tests under 20% oxygen in argon were also performed in the TGA linked to a mass spectrometer (TGA/MS). The results showed that char textural properties do not always relate well to their reactivity. Not only do physical properties (e.g. surface area, porosity) but also chemical properties (e.g. active sites concentration and distribution) play an important role in the reaction of carbonaceous material and oxidant. On the other hand, in terms of chemical composition the chars obtained from the mixture of carbon compounds were very similar to the chars produced under the same experimental conditions by a high volatile bituminous coal. The fact that carbon compounds are well known makes it easier to obtain knowledge about the functional groups present in synthetic char, and to study the mechanisms of heterogeneous reactions such as the reduction of NO with carbon.