INFLUENCE OF OXYGEN ON THE BEHAVIOR OF OXYGEN-CONTAINING GROUPS OF SOFT COAL IN PYROLYSIS

A comparison has been made of the processes of thermal and thermo-oxidative decomposition of Kansk-Achinsk brown coal. The composition of the residues formed at different temperatures was studied by elemental and chemical functional analyses and i.r. spectrometry and X-ray diffractometry. Significant differences in the temperature-dependence of gain or loss rates were observed for individual elements, functional groups, molecular structure parameters, and the supermolecular organization of the solid products, depending on the gas atmosphere. These differences are mostly due to the fact that with limited access of aerial oxygen, coal degradation proceeds through partial destruction of the stacks of carbon networks.