Carbonization of coal
Energy engineering
Dr. Saira Bano
Coal
• Origin of Coal : A complex mixture of plant substances altered in varying degree
by physical and chemical process.
• Reaction time : ~~ million years.
• Mechanism of Formation:
• In Situ Theory : Coal seam occupies the same site where original plants grew
and accumulated.
• Drift Theory : Plants and trees were uprooted and drifted by rivers to lakes and
estuaries to get deposited.
• During the course of time they got buried underground.
Analysis of coal
• Proximate Analysis & Ultimate Analysis.
Proximate analysis - to determine the moisture, ash, volatile
matter and fixed carbon
Ultimate or elementary analysis - to determine the elemental
composition of the coal
Additional characteristics of coal
• Sulfur Content: Coal with sulfur > 5% is not recommended for
combustion.
• Weatherability: Weathering or Slacking Index -- An indication
of size stability -- Denotes the tendency to break on exposure to
alternate wet and dry periods.
• Grindability Index: A measure of relative ease of grinding
coals or the power required for grinding coals in a pulverizer.
Properties of coke
Ash & moisture content
• Low moisture and ash content are desirable in coke.
• Coke should contain <1.5% moisture.
• Maximum desirable ash content in coke is 8%.
Carbonization
• Carbonization is the process by which coal is heated and volatile products - gaseous and liquid - are driven off, leaving a solid
residue called char or coke.
• Heating of coal in the absence of air to produce coke in called carbonization.
• Carbonization of coal entails heating coal to temperatures as high as 1100°C in the absence of oxygen in order to distill out tars
and light oils.
• A gaseous by-product referred to as coke oven gas (COG) along with ammonia, water, and sulfur compounds are also thermally
removed from the coal.
• It is often considered the process for producing metallurgical coke for use in iron-making blast furnaces and other metal smelting
processes.
• It is considered a complex process in which many reactions take place concurrently such as dehydrogenation, condensation,
hydrogen transfer and isomerization.
Coal carbonization
The coal carbonization is heating the coal in air isolated system. To make coal decompose into
carbon, coal tar, benzene and coal gas .
Coal gas(g) CO H2 CH4 C2H4 NH3 C6H6
C6H6 C6H5CH3 C6H4(CH3)2
coal Coal tar(l) phenol and Asphalt
Coke (s)
C
Classification of Carbonization
• Coal carbonization processes are classified into
high-temperature operations
• if they are performed at temperatures greater than 900◦C
low-temperature operations
• if they are conducted below 700◦C.
General comparison of LTC and HTC
• Low temperature carbonization (700oC)
a) Gaseous products are less in quantity.
b) Liquid products are abundant.
c) Production of Tar is relatively high.
• High temperature carbonization (above 900oC)
a) Gaseous products are more.
b) Liquid products are less.
c) Production of Tar is relatively low.
Low temperature carbonization
• Low-temperature carbonization was originally developed to provide town gas for
residential and street lighting and to manufacture a smokeless fuel for domestic
and industrial heating.
• It produces semi coke which is used as a smokeless domestic fuel. It can
sometimes be used in boilers also to avoid smoke.
• The by-product (tars) were economically important and were often essential
feedstock for the chemical industry or were refined to gasoline, heating oils, and
lubricants.
• Low-temperature carbonization evolved and was used extensively in
industrialized European countries but was eventually reduced after 1945 as oil
and natural gas became widely available. It again started in 1990.
High temperature carbonization
• High-temperature carbonization, coal is heated to temperatures
of 900°C to 1,200°C.
• At these temperatures, practically all the volatile matter is driven
off as gases or liquids, leaving behind a residue that consists
principally of carbon with minor amounts of hydrogen, nitrogen,
sulfur, and oxygen (which together constitute the fixed-carbon
content of the coal).
High temperature carbonization
• The main purpose of high-temperature carbonization is the production of
metallurgical coke for use in blast furnaces and foundries.
• Some coke is used for the manufacture of calcium carbide and electrode
carbons, and in foundries to produce cast iron; however, more than 90% of
the coke produced is used in blast furnaces to smelt iron ore and produce
pig iron, and modern coke-making practices are virtually dictated by the
coke quality in this market.
Low Temperature Carbonization (LTC) High Temperature Carbonization (HTC)
It is carried out at 700°C. It is carried out at 1100°C
It produces semi-coke (due to incomplete It produces metallurgical coke for use in blast
carbonization) which is used as a smokeless furnace.
domestic fuel.
Yield of coke oven gas is less in LTC. It is Yield of coke oven gas is more in HTC due to
about 150-160 Nm3 gas/ton dry coal. Less more cracking of hydrocarbons. Yield is about
gas yield is due to less devolatalization of 290-300 Nm3 gas/ton dry coal.
coal and less cracking of hydrocarbons.
Yield of tar is high in low temp, carbonization. Tar yield is less here. It is about 3% of dry
It is about 10% of dry coal. coal charged.
Ammonia yield is low. Ammonia yield is more (10-15 gm/Nm3 of
coke oven gas).
Calorific value of coke oven gas produced in C.V. of coke oven gas produced in H.T.C. is
LTC is more due to higher percentage of less. It is about 4200-4400 kcal/Nm3 only due
methane and unsaturated hydrocarbons in it. to lesser percentage of hydrocarbons.
C.V. is about 6000-6500 kcal/Nm3.
Low Temperature Carbonization (LTC) High Temperature Carbonization (HTC)
The tar produced is aliphatic in nature. Tar produced has more of aromatic ring
compounds.
After carbonization, discharging of coke is Discharging of coke is easier as it shrinks
difficult as it swells a lot. finally to a more extent.
Free carbon in tar is less. Free carbon in tar is more.
Coke produced is weaker (due to less Coke produced is stronger, smaller in size
shrinkage), bigger in size and more reactive and less reactive (due to low porosity) due
(due to higher porosity). to higher amount of shrinkage
Volatile matter content in coke is more (5- VM, in coke is less (1-2%), hence its
7%), ignition temperature of LTC coke is ignition temperature is more. Ignition
about 425°C. temperature is about 605°C
Hydrogen content in coke oven gas is less H2 content in coke oven gas is more (55-
(35-40%). 60%).
Coke yield is more. It is about 80% of dry Coke, yield is less (about 77% of dry coal)
coal
Physico-chemical changes during carbonisation
Hence mechanism of carbonization may be summarized as occurring in 3
stages
Stage I: Primary breakdown of coal at 700C yields decomposition
products like H2O, CO, CO2, H2S, aromatics, paraffins, olefin, phenolics,
N2 containing compounds.
Stage II: Secondary thermal reaction among these liberated primary
products as they pass through hot coke, along hot oven walls and
through highly heated free space in the oven involve both synthesis and
degradation. Evolution of H2 and formation of aromatics and methane
occur at 700°C. Decomposition of complex nitrogen containing
compounds produces NH3, HCN, N2 and pyridine bases.
Stage III: Progressive removal of hydrogen from residue in the oven
produces hard coke.
