Characterization of sulfur coal-derived liquids as a source of hydrocarbons to produce chemicals and synthetic fuels

In order to foster an effective utilization of the high-sulfur coal reserves and promote a wide implementation of coal-to-liquid technologies, the behavior of two low rank bituminous coals with different genetic type by reductivity during mild pyrolysis process was investigated. The influence of the genetic type by reductivity on the formation mechanism of primary tar was studied. The final objective was to determine which coal yields more quality products and primary tar as alternative source of feed-stocks to produce valuable chemicals and motor fuels. Qualitative and quantitative measurements of the liquid hydrocarbons and gas mixture obtained from coals were performed by MIR-spectrometry, H-1 NMR, a VTI-II gas analyzer and gas chromatography. Results demonstrated the influence of the genetic type by reductivity on the hydrogen-type distribution between the mild-pyrolysis products. It was shown that a high sulfur level in the original coal allows increasing the conversion ratios of organic matter into high-quality gaseous products with high concentration of H2S and almost sulfur-free coal liquids. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.