Chemical Process Technology

(CB305)
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Patna

Atanu K Metya
atanu.metya@iitp.ac.in
Coal and Coal based Chemicals
Coal and Coal based Chemicals
• Coal is another source of carbon and hydrogen .. like oil and natural
gas
• Composition is more complex, lower H:C, harder to process as
compared to Oil and Gas
• Higher technical and economical risk compared to natural gas and oil
• Use of Coal: In India, the consumption of energy from Coal and
Lignite was highest which accounted for about 46.8% of the total
consumption during 2018-19 followed by Crude Oil (33.2%) and
Electricity (12.9%).
• Origin of Coal: Chemical and geological studies have shown that coal
is formed from vegetable materials such as trees, vascular plants,
spores etc.
Coal and Coal based Chemicals
• Composition of Coal: Coal consist of organic mass with some
quantities of inorganic substances like water and mineral matter. Coal
also contains some adsorbed gases, mainly methane, CO, CO2 etc.
The organic mass is a mixture of complex organic compounds of C, H,
O, N, and S.

• Analysis and Properties of Coal: the proximate analysis and the

ultimate analysis or elementary analysis.
• Other chemical and physical properties of coal include solubility,
specific gravity, surface area, porosity, specific heat and refractory
index.
Analysis and Properties of Coal
• Proximate analysis: determines the moisture, ash, volatile matter and
fixed carbon of coal
• Elementary analysis: determines the carbon, hydrogen, Sulphur,
nitrogen, and oxygen of the pure coal
• Refractive index and reflectance are found to increase with increase in
coal rank
Analysis and Properties of Coal
• Moisture:
• External or free moisture: determined by expose to atmosphere
• Internal or equilibrium or air-dried or hydroscopic moisture: determine by
heating above 100oC
• Ash and mineral matter:
• during combustion of coal by chemical reactions
• Depends on the nature of source, the mineral matter in coal is called inherent and extraneous
• Clay or shale consisting aluminosilicate, calcite and pyrites
• Volatile matter and fixed carbon:
• During thermal decomposition of coal under specified conditions
• Higher the volatile matter, the lower the fixed carbon
• Elementary analysis:
• Carbon
• Hydrogen
• Sulphur
• Nitrogen
• Oxygen
Coal and Coal based Chemicals
• Coal Carbonization:
• Low temperature carbonization (LTC) at 600 deg. C : semicoke, low
temperature tar, liquor, crude low temperature spirit and gas
• Medium temperature carbonization (MTC) at 800C:
• High temperature carbonization (HTC) at 1000C: hard coke and coal gas

• Gasification of Coal:
• Raw materials: Coke or non-coking coal
• Chemical reaction: 4𝐶 +𝑂2 +2𝐻2𝑂→ 4𝐶𝑂+ 2𝐻2
• Produce town gas or synthesis gas
Applications of Coal Gasification

IGCC = integrated gasification combined cycle.

Gasification Technologies
• The Lurgi (now Sasol–Lurgi) moving bed gasifier
• The Winkler fluidized bed gasifier
Coal Gasification 151
• The Koppers–Totzek entrained flow gasifier
Table 5.6 Syngas composition from different gasification processes with oxygen as the oxidant (Coal type:
Illinois#6) [43].

Composition (vol%) Moving bed Fluidized bed Entrained flow

H2 O 5.1 4.4 2.0

H2 52.2 27.7 26.7
CO 29.5 54.6 63.1
CO2 5.6 4.7 1.5
CH4 4.4 5.8 0.03
COS 0.04 0.1 0.1
H2 S 0.9 1.3 1.3
NH3 + HCN 0.5 0.08 0.02
N2 + Ar 1.5 1.7 5.2

Table 5.6 shows measured compositions, including trace impurities, of syngas obtained by gasification of
 Figure 5.17 Schematics of entrained flow gasifiers showing reactor, feed, and syngas-cooling characteristics:
(a) The Shell, (b) General Electric (GE), (c) ConocoPhillips (COP) and (d) the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)
(a) Shell; (b) GE; (c) COP; (d) MHI.
gasifier technologies
Coking of coal
• Coal: coking coal and non-coking coals.
• Coal is heated to temperatures of 900 to 1150°C.
• At about 300 °C, coking coal beings to soften, increasing fluidity of the
mass until the mass solidifies to form coke.
• The evolving gases and vapour swell the mass during the plastic stage,
resulting in porous coke.
• Non-coking coals does not become soft on heating and crumbles easily;
called as char.
• Residence time in coking oven ~ 17 hours. Red hot coke taken out from
oven put into quenching cars (with water), drained, crushed, and screened to
be used as fuel.
• Gas emerging from oven cooled to remove tar, scrubbed with H2SO4 to
remove ammonia, and scrubbed with light oil to remove aromatics. The end
gas is coal gas, used as fuel after removing sulfur.