Coal pyrolysis and coal briquetting for production of smokeless fuel

To investigate the possibility of direct production of smokeless fuel, a moderate temperature coking was applied. Coals used for this purposes are named as No:800 in International Classification and cause considerable amounts of smoke emissions due to their high tar contents, when burned. Following a preheating treatment at 120°C, the smokeless fuels (semicokes) were produced by coking of the samples 16-332 mm at 450°C, with a heating rate of 150°C/h. These semicokes have been found to be strong, their tar contents are far below 2%, and volatile matters are mainly composed of CH4 and H2. The formation of semicoke particles smaller than 10 mm at the level of 25 to 30%, could not be avoided. Briquetts prepared by using these particles and tar or molasses as binder, were also found suitable for heating purposes.