DESULFURISATION OF COAL TREATED BY AIR A

The study investigates the desulfurization of coal from Memaliaj Mine in Albania, utilizing mixtures of air and steam at a treatment temperature of 400°C, examining various particle sizes and flow rate ratios over different treatment times. The main objective was to analyze the effects of coal particle size and the air/water ratio on the conversion rate of total sulfur. A detailed investigation of the kinetics of the chemical heterogeneous desulfurization reaction, specifically the oxidation of FeS/FeS2, was conducted. The results indicated that the unreacted shrinking core model accurately represented the kinetic data, revealing that the coal particle size primarily influenced the external and internal diffusion of O2 molecules, while the air/water ratio significantly affected internal diffusion. The external diffusion stage averaged 14.25% influence, the internal diffusion stage 76.33%, and the chemical reaction stage 9.42%. This comprehensive analysis elucidates the effectiveness of a fixed bed system in the desulfurization process, highlighting important parameters such as particle size and treatment conditions that play a crucial role in optimizing sulfur removal from coal.