See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/263302510

Thermogravimetric Analysis of Perhydrous Indian Coals

Article  in  Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization and Environmental Effects · April 2014
DOI: 10.1080/15567036.2010.547919

CITATIONS READS

11 467

2 authors:

Puja Khare Bimala prasad Baruah

Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi
167 PUBLICATIONS   2,875 CITATIONS    87 PUBLICATIONS   1,755 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Method development View project

Characterization of Cymbopogon flexuosus distilled spent derived biochar and its byproducts View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Puja Khare on 20 January 2016.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

This article was downloaded by: [CIMAP Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants]
On: 19 May 2014, At: 04:20
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered
office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery,

Utilization, and Environmental Effects
Publication details, including instructions for authors and
subscription information:
http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ueso20

Thermogravimetric Analysis of
Perhydrous Indian Coals
a a
P. Khare & B. P. Baruah
a
Coal Chemistry Division, North-East Institute of Science and
Technology (NEIST), Jorhat, Assam, India
Published online: 21 Feb 2014.

To cite this article: P. Khare & B. P. Baruah (2014) Thermogravimetric Analysis of Perhydrous Indian
Coals, Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 36:7, 774-782, DOI:
10.1080/15567036.2010.547919

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2010.547919

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the
“Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis,
our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to
the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions
and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,
and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content
should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources
of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims,
proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or
howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising
out of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any
substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing,
systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms &
Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-
and-conditions
 Energy Sources, Part A, 36:774–782, 2014
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1556-7036 print/1556-7230 online
DOI: 10.1080/15567036.2010.547919

Thermogravimetric Analysis of Perhydrous Indian Coals

Downloaded by [CIMAP Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants] at 04:20 19 May 2014

P. Khare1 and B. P. Baruah1

1
Coal Chemistry Division, North-East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST),
Jorhat, Assam, India

In the present investigation, pyrolytic behavior of perhydrous Indian coals was evaluated using
thermogravimetric analysis from 50 to 1,000ıC. The devolatilization was classified into five major
regions of thermal activity, i.e., dehydration of water, pre-plastic region, plastic range, secondary
devolatilization, and contraction region. The values of activation energies in different regions indicate
to follow different mechanisms during pyrolysis. Up to 850ıC, different mechanisms, i.e., dehydration,
desorption, devolatilization, and thermal degradation (tar and hydrocarbon formation), are the control-
ling steps. From 850ıC, consecutive reactions like dehydrogenation, condensation, and contraction of
carbon planes take place. These coals are of sub-bituminous rank; however, their activation energies
for various regions are found to lie within the ranges reported for bituminous coals, which is due to
their perhydrous nature.

Keywords: differential thermogravimetry, kinetics, perhydrous, pyrolysis, thermogravimetric analysis

INTRODUCTION

Coal is a heterogeneous mixture of organic and inorganic matters. Pyrolysis is an important

intermediate stage in coal gasification, combustion, and liquefaction, and is also considered as
a simple and effective method for the clean conversion of coal (Baruah and Khare, 2007). The
application of thermal analysis to study the behavior of fossil fuels during pyrolysis has gained
much industrial importance (Kok and Pamir, 1995). During the course of the carbonization process,
important changes in structure and physical conditions of the solid phase occur resulting in coke
or char.
Perhydrous coals, in general, show different physico-chemical properties (i.e., a high volatile
matter, enhancement of oil/tar potential, relatively lower porosity, and higher fluidity during
carbonization). The chemical structure of perhydrous coals is substantially modified with respect
to that formed in conventional coals (Suarez-Ruiz et al., 1994; Jimanez et al., 1998; Iglesias et al.,
2002). High hydrogen content in perhydrous coals affects the pyrolysis of these coals. As these
coals possess high calorific values due to their high H content, they are good candidates for use
as a fuel source. Therefore, Perhydrous coals present potential application in several fields, either
by themselves as components of coal blends or as valuable materials for conversion into useful
products of a higher quality.

Address correspondence to Dr. B. P. Baruah, Coal Chemistry Division, North-East Institute of Science and Technology
(NEIST), Jorhat, Assam 785006, India. E-mail: bpbaruah@yahoo.com
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/ueso.

774
 THERMOGRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS OF PERHYDROUS INDIAN COALS 775

The northeastern region of India has coal deposits of Tertiary origin aged from Paleocene to
Oligocene. The coals from the Eocene age are vitrinite rich [>70 vol. %, mineral matter free
(mmf)] with moderate amounts of liptinite (>8% mmf) and inertinite (>5 vol. %, mmf) with
0.37–0.67% vitrinite reflectance (Mishra and Ghosh, 1996). These coals have different physico-
chemical attributes in comparison to other peninsular Indian coals. These coals can be classified as
sub-bituminous to high volatile bituminous coals according to ASTM standards. These coals have
Downloaded by [CIMAP Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants] at 04:20 19 May 2014

high hydrogen content and are suitable for combustion and conversion processes. Some of these
coals have high caking properties used for coke making. Some studies on the physico-chemical
properties, petrography, and structural parameters of these coals have been reported (Mishra and
Ghosh, 1996; Baruah and Khare, 2007; Baruah et al., 2008, Baruah, 2009; Khare and Baruah,
2010). However, the data on thermal analysis is limited (Saikia et al., 2009). Thermal behavior
of these coals, however, can provide an insight into the evolution of its composition and physico-
chemical structure. Kinetics of devolatilization of these coals is useful for understanding, design,
and modeling of the industrial processes.
The present work is aimed at developing a general model for coal pyrolysis that predicts the
behavior of these abnormal coals (Iyenger et al., 1959) during thermal treatment. For prediction
of the pyrolytic behavior of these coals, a multi step pyrolysis model has been developed that
accounts for five regions of thermal decomposition reactions.

EXPERIMENTAL

Materials
The freshly mined sub-bituminous coal samples from Sutanga (MS), Khlieriat (MK), and Bapung
(MB) of Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya (91ı 580 –92ı 500 E longitudes and 25ı 020 –25ı 450 N latitude),
India, were used in this study. The air-dried samples were ground to 0.211 mm before use.
The proximate, ultimate, and sulphur analyses were done by using a thermogravimetric analyzer
(TGA) 701 (Leco), True spec elemental analyzer (Leco) and S 144 DR sulfur determinator (Leco).
Forms of sulphur were done by standard methods (Himus, 1954). Physico-chemical characteristics
of these coals are summarized in Table 1.

Thermogravimetric (TGA) and Differential Thermogravimetric (DTG) Analyses

Differential thermal analysis was used to determine the pyrolysis behavior of perhydrous coals.
Experiments were carried out in a Leco TGA 701 thermal analysis system with 0.5 g each of
coal samples in a stream of nitrogen with a flow rate of 40 ml min 1 and linear heating rate of
10ı C. The weight loss (thermogravimetric TG signals) and the rate of weight loss (differential
thermogravimetric DTG signals) as a function of time and temperature were recorded.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Thermal Behavior during Pyrolysis

The rate of weight loss with temperature for the coal samples under study is shown in Figure 1.
The most significant parameters, mass loss .W0 –W1000ıC /, mass loss values at different temperature
intervals, the temperature of the maximum rate of mass loss .Tmax /, and the temperature of initial
thermal decomposition .Ti / are given in Table 2.
 776 P. KHARE AND B. P. BARUAH

TABLE 1
Physicochemical Characteristic of Coals (As Received Basis)

Characteristics MS, % MK, % MB, %

Proximate analysis
Moisture 2.9 3.1 1.5
Ash 20.0 11.5 11.5
Downloaded by [CIMAP Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants] at 04:20 19 May 2014

VM 35.6 41.4 40.5

FC 41.5 44 46.5
Ultimate analysis
Carbon 59.7 (77.5)a 56.7 (67.5) 66.3 (76.1)
Hydrogen 6.0 (7.8) 4.6 (5.7) 5.37 (6.9)
Nitrogen 0.9 (1.2) 1.2 (1.4) 1.0 (1.1)
Oxygen by difference (13.5) (25.4) (15.9)
Forms of sulphur
Total sulphur 2.90 3.98 4.46
Organic sulphur 2.50 3.50 3.50
Pyritic sulphur 0.15 0.24 0.26
a The figures in parenthesis indicate daf basis.

The initial temperature of pyrolysis, Ti , is defined as temperature when the mass loss .x/ is
5%. Tmax and Tf are temperatures at the maximum rate of weight loss and the final temperature
at x D 85%, respectively. Tmax is related to the structure of the coals and has the same Tmax
values for similar structures. Tmax values for the coals under study are similar to those of various
perhydrous coals reported by Arenillas et al. (2003). Ti and Tf signify the difficulty with which
the pyrolytic reactions proceed. Ti of these coals was found to be lower than other perhydrous
bituminous coals (Arenillas et al., 2003). Tf values for these coals have been found to be 975ıC.
It is evident from the DTG curves (Figure 1) that the pyrolysis of these coals proceeds through
different temperature regions. After loss of moisture at 50–110ıC, desorption of gases started at
about 250ı C. Initial loss of lighter molecules is linked physically with carbonaceous matrices

FIGURE 1 DTG profiles of different perhydrous coals during pyrolysis.

 THERMOGRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS OF PERHYDROUS INDIAN COALS 777

TABLE 2
Characteristic Parameters for Pyrolysis of the Coals Studied

W0 – W0 – W300 – W450 – W600 – W850 – Tmax , Ti , Tf ,

W1000ı C W115ı C W450ı C W600ı C W850ı C W1000ı C ıC ıC ıC

MK 70.94 0.39 7.33 18.97 10.85 18.98 475 171 975

MB 61.47 0.15 3.40 20.27 9.87 18.91 450 275 975
Downloaded by [CIMAP Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants] at 04:20 19 May 2014

MS 54.23 0.22 2.82 19.36 8.63 16.24 450 225 975

Wi : Mass loss between different temperature intervals; Ti : Temperature of initial thermal decomposition; Tmax :
Temperature of the maximum rate of mass loss; Tf : Final temperature.

of the coal samples. At about 450ıC, the rate of thermal decomposition reached a maximum.
A subsequent final phase of degasification was observed from 450 to 850ı C, where secondary
devolatilization takes place. At higher temperatures, the thermal decomposition occurs by the
breaking of bonds with the formation of tar and hydrocarbons. Finally, at higher temperatures,
the pyrolysis is predominantly characterized by the formation of hydrogen.
From the shape of the thermo gravimetric curves (Figure 1), the presence of five regions in
pyrolysis of these low rank coals can be deduced and inferred as: Region I (50–115ıC) indicates
dehydration of water with a weight loss of 0.15 to 0.388%. Region II (250–450ıC) shows pre-
plastic stages with a weight loss of 2.82–7.33%. Region III (450 and 600ıC) attributes to a
plastic stage involving a weight loss of 19–20%. Region IV (600 and 850ı C) indicates secondary
devolatilization, during which the weight loss is 8 to10.8%. In region V (above 850ı C), contraction
occurs with a weight loss of 16%. The weight loss in the five regions was found to be in the
order of region III > region V > region IV > region II > region I.

Kinetic Parameters
The kinetic parameters, activation energies, and pre-exponential factors of coal pyrolysis were
determined by the integral method (Coats and Redfern, 1964). Many investigators assumed that
coal pyrolysis is a first order reaction (Kok et al., 1998; Solomon et al., 1986). The Arrhenius
equation on pyrolysis reactions is

dx=dt D A exp. E=RT /.1 x/; (1)

where A is pre-exponential factor, E is activation energy, T is temperature, t is time, and x is

weight loss fraction or decomposition during pyrolysis, which can be calculated by:

W0 Wt
xD ; (2)
W0 Wf

where W0 is the original mass of the test sample, Wt is the mass at time t or temperature T , and
Wf is the final mass at the end of pyrolysis.
The constant heating rate .H / during pyrolysis is given by:

H D d T =dt: (3)

Rearranging Eq. (1) and on integration gives:

InŒ ln.1 x/=T 2  D lnŒAR=HE.1 2RT=E/ E=RT: (4)

 778 P. KHARE AND B. P. BARUAH

The expression lnfARŒ1 .2RT=E/=HEg in Eq. (4) is essentially constant for most of the values
of E and temperature range of the pyrolysis. By plotting the left side of Eq. (4) against 1=T ,
a straight line is obtained indicating the process to be of first order reaction. From the slope,
E=R, the activation energy E can be determined. Pre-exponential factor A was determined by
substituting the value of T at which Wt D .Wo C Wf /=2 in the intercept of Eq. (4).
DTG curves in Figure 1 show that the reactions of coal pyrolysis cannot be described by
Downloaded by [CIMAP Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants] at 04:20 19 May 2014

one consecutive first order reaction. The curves represent five independent first order reactions at
different temperature regions. Thus, five independent first order reactions were tried to describe
the process of coal pyrolysis. Equation (1) is applied separately to all five stages and mass loss x
was recalculated for each reaction. From the slope of each line, the values of each E and A can
be obtained for different stages. Table 3 shows the kinetic parameters of the pyrolysis reactions
of different coals. The good correlation coefficients obtained indicate that five independent first
order reaction models fit very well with the experimental data.
In region I, the slopes of the inclined lines for the DTG curves of the three coals give activation
energy values for liberation of water. Activation energies of these coals vary between 99.0–104.2
kJ/mol. These values were found to be higher than the values (18.6–27.0 kJ/mol) for bituminous
coals (Yang et al., 2007). The magnitude of the activation energy can be interpreted as an energy
barrier that a water molecule needs to escape from the coal matrix. The force holding water
molecules in the coal matrix might originate from the hydrogen bonds between water molecules
and surface of coal pores or among the water molecules in coal capillaries (Brandy et al., 1990,
1994; Vorres et al., 1992; Vorres, 1994). It is reported that the water is liberated from the coal
pores and pore surfaces. The bulk and capillary moisture is easily removed, while the removal
of the multilayer moisture requires activation energy of 19.7 kJ/mol, which corresponds to the
dissociation energy of hydrogen bonds between the water molecules and hydrophilic sites in the
coal structure. However, Miura et al. (2001) reported that there are up to six types of hydrogen

TABLE 3
Kinetic Parameters after Application of a Model during Mass Loss
for the Five Reactions

Kinetic Regression
Exponential Energy, Coefficient,
Factor, A E (KJ/Mol) R2

MK
Reaction 1 28:6  10 5 104.7 0.990
Reaction 2 22:1  10 4 134.4 0.975
Reaction 3 41:5  10 4 149.9 0.998
Reaction 4 30:6  10 4 183.0 0.995
Reaction 5 11:7  10 5 120.8 0.995
MB
Reaction 1 40:6  10 5 104.2 0.998
Reaction 2 23:2  10 4 140.0 0.987
Reaction 3 44:8  10 4 152.3 0.999
Reaction 4 26:0  10 4 170.5 0.999
Reaction 5 78:5  10 4 118.2 0.998
MS
Reaction 1 22:1  10 5 99.9 0.996
Reaction 2 17:8  10 4 128.9 0.985
Reaction 3 44:5  10 4 149.7 0.999
Reaction 4 21:3  10 4 165.2 0.999
Reaction 5 48:4  10 5 118.6 0.999
 THERMOGRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS OF PERHYDROUS INDIAN COALS 779

bonds in a coal structure. The functional groups, i.e., hydroxyls, phenolic, and carboxylic acids
are capable of hydrogen bond formation. The dissociation energies of these types of H-bonds vary
from 24 to 199 kJ/mol. However, breaking of these hydrogen bonds may be due to the dissociation
of hydrogen bonds formed by OH, phenolic, and carboxylic groups. The coals under study have
high phenolic groups (Khare and Baruah, 2010). The chances of formation of H-bonding with
moisture present in these coals is leading more to high activation energy.
Downloaded by [CIMAP Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants] at 04:20 19 May 2014

In Region II, the coals undergo softening with the release of light species (Strezov et al., 2004).
Thermal decomposition of the more labile structure of the coal matrix also takes place. In this
stage, the volatiles (liquids and gases) are the main pyrolysis products. The immobile phase of
the coal structure, which mostly comprises dense phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons linked
together by CDC bonds, are more resistant to the heat. The activation energies of this stage range
from 128.7 to 132.9 kJ/mol.
Region III is related to the plastic properties, swelling of coal by completion of the softening
process, coal melts forming metaplast and resolidifies as char. In this region, coal has undergone
an intense degradation of its structure and the greatest mass loss takes place due to degradation
of carbonaceous matrix and the evolution of relatively high molecular weight species. Activation
energies of this stage vary from 149 to 152 kJ/mol.
In region IV, the activation energies range from 165 to 183 kJ/mol, which are higher than
previous regions. In this region, formation of secondary char as the main pyrolysis products
occurs due to re-solidification and secondary devolatilization processes, which are endothermic
in nature (Strezov et al., 2004). Hence, the activation energies were found to be higher in this
region.
In Region V, the main reactions are condensation and formation of hydrogen. Formation of
coke takes place in this region. The C–H bonds break evolving hydrogen, reflecting the formation
of stronger bonds between the carbon atoms. This is followed by condensation and contraction
within the carbon hexagonal planes (Miura et al., 2001). Activation energies (118–120 kJ/mol)
in this region are lower than the previous stage, which may be due to exothermic contraction
reaction (Cai et al., 2008).
Table 4 gives a comparison of activation energies during pyrolysis of lignite, sub-bituminous,
bituminous, bituminous (medium volatile), and bituminous (low volatile) with the perhydrous
coals (high volatile) under study for different temperature ranges. These coals are ranked as sub-
bituminous (Baruah and Khare, 2007); however, their activation energies lie within the range
reported for bituminous coals (Strezov et al., 2004). It might be due to their abnormal charac-
teristics and perhydrous nature. Activation energies of these perhydrous coals in the temperature
range 250 to 400ıC are higher than those for medium and low volatile bituminous coals and
lignite, but lower than those reported for sub-bituminous coals. At the 450–600ıC temperature
range, the activation energies of these perhydrous coals are lower than those of medium volatile
bituminous, lignite, and sub-bituminous, but higher than those of low volatile bituminous coals.
These coals have been ranked as lingo-bituminous (Baruah, 2009) types. Lower activation energies
in comparison to lignite and sub-bituminous coals may be due to the presence of high H/C ratio.
High H/C ratio of perhydrous coals reveals more methyl substitutions in the coal structure. The
high release of methyl groups (Baruah and Khare, 2007) may lead to low activation energies.
It can be seen from Table 4 that activation energies of these coals increase from region I to
IV and then decrease from region IV to V. According to the basic kinetic concepts, a variation of
slope implies a variation of E with temperature and variation in the mechanism that controls the
reaction (Levenspiel, 1990). Increase in the slope in the Arrhenius plot (i.e., increase in activation
energy) implies that the process controlling step changes from one mechanism to another. While
a decrease in the slope (i.e., decrease in the activation energy) means that the process controlling
step has a series of reactions, changing from one reaction to another (Arenillas et al., 2003). For
these perhydrous coals, activation energy increased from dehydration to secondary volatilization
 780 P. KHARE AND B. P. BARUAH

TABLE 4
Comparison of Activation Energies of Various Coals

Temperature Activation
Regions, Energy,
ı
Coal Types C KJ/mol References

Bituminous 200 68–103 Strezov et al., 2004

Downloaded by [CIMAP Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants] at 04:20 19 May 2014

Bituminous 200–400 74–144

Bituminous 400–600 124–190
Bituminous 600–800 157–335
Bituminous 800–1,000 95–130
Sub bituminous 326–416 164 Liu et al., 2004
Sub bituminous 416–478 245.8
Sub bituminous 478–549 226.6
Lignite 326–416 82.3
Lignite 416–478 212
Lignite 478–549 165.5
Bituminous (medium volatile) 250–475 107.94 Puente et al., 1998
Bituminous (medium volatile) 475–575 194.9
Bituminous (medium volatile) >575 44.10
Low volatile 174–358 36.9 Cai et al., 2008
Low volatile 358–491 128.9
Low volatile 491–667 115
Perhydrous (high volatile) 50–115 99.9–104.7 Present study
Perhydrous (high volatile) 250–450 128.9–140 Present study
Perhydrous (high volatile) 450–600 149.7–152.3 Present study
Perhydrous (high volatile) 600–850 165.2–183.0 Present study
Perhydrous (high volatile) 850–1,000 118.2–120.8 Present study

reaction, while a decrease in activation energy was observed from secondary devolatilization to
contraction reactions. Figure 2 shows the controlling steps for pyrolysis of these perhydrous coals.
Up to 850ı C, different mechanisms, i.e., dehydration, desorption, devolatilization, and thermal
degradation (tar and hydrocarbon formation), are the controlling steps. From 850ı C, consecutive
reactions like dehydrogenation, condensation, and contraction of carbon planes take place. The
DTG profiles (Figure 1) also explain all of the reactions taking place during the pyrolysis processes
at different temperatures. The mechanism proposed for the set of reactions taking place during
pyrolysis can also be applied to similar low rank perhydrous coals of different geographical
locations of the region.

CONCLUSIONS

The perhydrous coals studied in this investigation are characterized by high hydrogen and volatile
matter contents. Differential thermogravimetric analysis shows that Ti (initial thermal decompo-
sition temperature) values of these coals are comparable to bituminous coals. From the shape
of the differential thermogravimetric curves (DTG), the presence of five stages in the pyrolysis
of low rank Indian perhydrous coals can be deduced. At 450 to 600ıC, the temperature range
corresponding to the plastic stage of the process has a maximum weight loss observed during
pyrolysis of these coals. The estimated activation energies were found to be in the range of 99–
104.7 kJ/mol for dehydration, 128–140 kJ/mol for pre plastic stage, 149.7–152.3 kJ/mol for plastic
stage, 165–183 kJ/mol for secondary devolatilization, and 118–121 kJ/mol for coke formation,
 THERMOGRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS OF PERHYDROUS INDIAN COALS 781
Downloaded by [CIMAP Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants] at 04:20 19 May 2014

FIGURE 2 Reactions controlling the pyrolysis of perhydrous coals at different temperatures.

respectively. These coals, ranked as lingo-bituminous types, have lower activation energies in
comparison to either lignite or sub-bituminous categories, which may be due to the presence of
high H/C ratio revealing more methyl substitutions in the coal structure. The values of Arrhenius
activation energies E for five temperature regions showed the occurrence of different reaction
mechanisms during pyrolysis. Up to 850ıC, dehydration, desorption, devolatilization, and thermal
degradation (tar and hydrocarbon formation) were the controlling steps. From 850ı C, consecutive
reactions like dehydrogenation, condensation, and contraction of carbon planes are the primary
processes.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to Dr. P.G. Rao, Director, NEIST (CSIR), Jorhat,
Assam, India for his support and permission to communicate the results.

REFERENCES

Arenillas, A., Rubiera, F., Pis, J. J., Cuesta, M. J., Iglesias, M. J., Jimenez, A., and Suarez-Ruiz, I. 2003. Thermal behavior
during the pyrolysis of low rank perhydrous coals. J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 68–69:371–385.
Baruah, B. P. 2009. Environmental Studies around Makum Coalfields, Assam, India. Germany: LAMBERT Academic
Publishing. ISBN 978-3-8383-2322-0.
Baruah, B. P., and Khare, P. 2007. Pyrolysis of high sulpgur Indian coals. Energy & Fuels 21:3346–3352.
Baruah, R. K., Saikia, B. K., Baruah, B. P., and Dey, N. C. 2008. X-ray scattering study of the average polycyclic aromatic
unit in Ledo coal. J. Appl. Cryst. 41:27.
Brandy, M. E., Burnett, M. G., and Galway, A. K. 1990. The kinetics and mechanism of lignite dehydration. Chem. Soc.,
Faraday Trans. 86:1573–1578.
Brandy, M. E., Burnett, M. G., and Galway, A. K. 1994. A kinetic study of the dehydration of Northeastern Ireland lignite.
Fuel 73:1343–1347.
Cai, J., Wang, Y., Zhou, L., and Huang, Q. 2008. Thermogravimetric analysis and kinetics of coals-plastic blends during
co-pyrolysis in nitrogen atmosphere. Fuel Proc. Technol. 89:21–27.
 782 P. KHARE AND B. P. BARUAH

Coats, A. W., and Redfern, J. P. 1964. Kinetic parameters from thermogravimetric data. Nature 201:68.
Himus, G. W. 1954. Fuel Testing. London: Leonard Hill Limited.
Iglesias, M. J., del Rio, J. C., Laggoun-Defarge, F., Cuesta, M. J., and Suarez-Ruiz, I. 2002. Control of the chemical
structure of perhydrous coals: FTIR and Py. GC/MS investigation. J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 62:1–34.
Iyenger, M. S., Guha, S., Bari, M. L., and Lahiri, A. 1959. Oxidation of abnormal coals. In: Proceedings of the Symposium
on Nature of Coal. Jealgora, India: CFRI, p. 206.
Jimanez, A., Iglesias, M. J., Laggoun-Defarge, F., and Suarez-Ruiz, I. 1998. Study of physical and chemical properties of
Downloaded by [CIMAP Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants] at 04:20 19 May 2014

vitrinite inferences on depositional and coalification control. Chem. Geol. 150:197–221.

Khare, P., and Baruah, B. P. 2010. Structural parameters of perhydrous Indian coals. Int. J. Coal Prep. & Utiliz. 30:44–67.
Kok, M. V., and Pamir, M. R. 1995. Pyrolysis and combustion studies of fossil fuels by thermal analysis methods. Anal.
Appl. Pyrolysis 35:145–156.
Kok, M. V., Ozbas, E., Karacan, O., and Hicyilmaz, C. 1998. Effect of particle size on coal pyrolysis. J. Anal. Appl.
Pyrolysis 45:103–113.
Levenspiel, O. 1990. Chemical Reaction Engineering. New York: Wiley.
Liu, Q., Hu, H., Zhou, Q., Zhu, S., and Chen, G. 2004. Effect of inorganic matter on reactivity and kinetics of coal
pyrolysis. Energy & Fuels 83:713–718.
Mishra, H. K., and Ghosh, R. K. 1996. Geology, petrology and utilization potential of some tertiary coals of North Eastern
Region of India. Int. J. Coal Geol. 30:65–100.
Miura, K., Mae, K., Li, W., Kusakawa, T., Morozumi, F., and Kumano, A. 2001. Estimation of hydrogen bond distribution
in coal through the analysis of OH- stretching bands in diffused reflectance infra red spectrum measured by in-situ
technique. Energy & Fuels 15:599–605.
Puente, G. de la, Marban, G., Fuente, E., and Pis, J. J. 1998. Modeling of volatile product evolution in coal pyrolysis:
Role of arial oxidation. J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 44:205–218.
Saikia, B. K., Baruah, R. K., Gogoi, P. K., and Baruah, B. P. 2009. A thermal investigation on coals from Assam (India).
Fuel Proc. Tech. 90:196–203.
Solomon, P. R., Serio, M. A., Carangelo, R. M., and Markham, J. R. 1986. Very rapid coal pyrolysis. Fuel 65:182.
Strezov, I., Lucas, J. A., and Strezov, L. 2004. Experimental and modeling of thermal regions of activity during pyrolysis
of bituminous coals. J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 71:375–392.
Suarez-Ruiz, I., Iglesias, M. J., Jimenez, A., Laggoun-Defarge, F., and Prado, J. G. 1994. Influence or resinite or huminite
properties. Energy & Fuels 8:1417–1424.
Vorres, K. S. 1994. Effects of temperature, sample size and gas flow rate on drying on Beulah-Zap lignite. Energy &
Fuels 8:320–323.
Vorres, K. S., Wertz, D. L., Malhotra, V., Dang, Y., Joseph, J. T., and Fisher, R. 1992. Drying of Beulah-Zap lignite. Fuel
71:1047–1053.
Yang, H., Chen, H., Ju, F., Yan, R., and Zhang, R. 2007. Influence of pressure on coal pyrolysis and char gasification.
Energy Fuels 21:3165–3170.

View publication stats