Direct Liquefaction of South African Vitrinite- and Inertinite-Rich Coal Fines

Abstract

In this investigation, coal fines enriched with inertinite were used for direct liquefaction experiments. For comparison, a vitrinite-rich coal typically utilized in coal-to-liquid processes was also employed. To assess the impact of mineral matter content, demineralization was used to remove most of the inorganic constituents. The findings revealed that the inertinite-rich coal exhibited lower liquefaction conversions due to a reduced proportion of reactive macerals and elevated levels of inorganic mineral matter. These conversion values exhibited a strong correlation with the quantity of reactive macerals present in the parent coals. For the inertinite-rich coal, the presence of inorganic mineral matter impeded the liquefaction process but facilitated the CO₂ gasification reactions of the derived chars. To evaluate their potential in gasification processes, CO₂ gasification experiments were conducted and the reactivities and apparent gasification activation energies of both coal chars, liquefaction residue chars, and preasphaltene and asphaltene (PAA) chars were calculated. These calculations were carried out using the random pore model (RPM) and volumetric reaction model (VRM). The chemistry, reactivity, and kinetics of residue gasification conversion are not thoroughly understood, yet they hold significant importance in optimizing syngas production within gasification processes. The findings from this work highlight significant differences in liquefaction conversion values, product distribution, and composition. These differences are influenced by factors such as maceral composition, inorganic mineral matter content, hydrogen-donor capabilities of the solvent, and liquefaction reaction temperatures. Additionally, these variables affect the CO₂ gasification reactivity of liquefaction solid residue chars.