EP 201 Industrial Chemistry

Petroleum
&
Coal
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Formation of coal & petroleum

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Petroleum

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http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/oil-refining5.htm

Major hydrocarbons in crude oil

1. Paraffin : CnH2n+2 (alkane) straight- or branched-chain
molecules. Examples: methane, ethane, butane, isobutane.

2. Olefin : CnH2n (alkene) linear or branched

chain molecules with double bond.
Examples: ethylene, butene, isobutene.
3. Alkynes: CnH2n-2 linear or branched chain molecules
containing triple-bonds. Example:
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Major hydrocarbons in crude oil

4. Aromatics: C6H5 - X (X is a longer,
straight molecule that connects to the
benzene ring) ringed structures with
one or more rings contain 6 carbon
atoms. Examples: benzene,
napthalene
5. Cycloalkanes: CnH2n , ringed
structures with one or more rings
contain only single bonds between
the carbon atoms. Examples:
cyclohexane, methyl cyclopentane.
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Uses of coal
1. Power generation
2. Metallurgy
3. Aromatic derivatives
4. Activated carbon,
carbon nanotube
(CNT), graphene
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Stages of coal formation

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Types of coal

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http://eis.uow.edu.au/outburst/html/Factors/rank.html

Comparison of molecular structure

Bitumimuos coal

Anthracite

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Calorific value of coal

(correlation)
Dulong suggests the following approximate formula for
Q when the oxygen content is less than 10%:

Q = 337C + 1442(H - O/8) + 93S

where
C is the mass percent of carbon,
H is the mass percent of hydrogen,
O is the mass percent of oxygen, and
S is the mass percent of sulphur in the coal
Q is given in kilojoules per kilogram

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Coke formation
Low-temperature
carbonization

High-temperature
carbonization

1. 450 700oC
2. Liquid products >
Gaseous products
3. Products contain more
tar acids/ bases

1. >900oC
2. Gaseous products
> Liquid products
3. Less tar in
products
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By-product coking

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By-product coking
1. At 350 oC the active decomposition of coal begins
and evolution of plenty of tarry vapour can be
seen. This process is completed when temperature
reaches 450 oC.
2. Oven is heated from both the sides and time taken
for coking varies from 12 to 20 hours and the
temperature is 1100 oC or more.
3. After carbonization both the doors of the oven are
opened and red hot coke is pushed out by a
pusher into a coke car. The car takes the coke to a
quenching station where a spray of water cools it.
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By-product coking
4. The gas evolved from coal carbonization contains a
variety of compounds, such as ammonia, hydrogen
sulphide, hydrogen cyanide, naphthalene, aromatic
compounds, and miscellaneous hydrocarbons (light oil).
5. As the gas passes out of the oven through a vertical
standpipe, around a return bend into a collecting main,
it is sprayed and cooled, by means of flushing liquor
(weak ammonia solution), from ~705C to ~65C.
Some of the tar condenses at this time and flows to the
bottom of the main.
6. Ammonia from coal is often recoverable from both the
liquid and gas streams and can be readily separated
from the liquid, by an ammonia still.
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By-product coking
7. The fixed salts must be treated with lime or
caustic in a lime leg. The gaseous ammonia
may be absorbed with sulphuric acid to produce
ammonium sulphate, processed to anhydrous
ammonia, or destroyed by combustion.
8. Naphthalene must be removed from the gas
stream to avoid plugging of lines and valves in
subsequent gas usages. It may be scrubbed from
the gas with hydrocarbon and then separated by
distillation; another removal method is to
reabsorb it in tar. Naphthalene may be extracted
in the crystalline form as pure material.
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By-product coking
9. The light oil consisting primarily of benzene,
toluene, and xylene may be left in the gas. It is
burned or extracted for subsequent distillation.
Extraction is accomplished by scrubbing with a
wash/straw oil (heavy petroleum) in packed or
spray towers. The light oils are then separated
from the wash oil by distillation.

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Distillation of coal tar

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Coal use and environment

1. Release of pollutants, such as oxides of
sulphur and nitrogen (SOx and NOx), and
particulate and trace elements, such as
mercury.
SOx and NOx gases causes acid rain
2. Recent challenge has been that of carbon
dioxide emissions (CO2).
CO2 contributes global warming
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Clean coal technology

1. Coal preparation
reduce ash content in coal combustion.
Techniques: settling, froth flotation, centrifuge
2. Fine ash removal
o Electrostatic precipitators (ESP) - particulate flue gases
pass between collecting plates, where an electrical field
creates a charge on the particles. This attracts the particles
towards the collecting plates, where they accumulate and
can be disposed of.
o Fabric filters - also known as baghouses, collect particles
in flue gas on a tightly woven fabric primarily by sieving.
o Both can remove over 99.5%particulate emission
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Use of ESP in coal power plant

Source: http://lauwtjunnji.weebly.com/fly-ash--overview.html

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Clean coal technology

3. Prevention of acid rain
o SOx - flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems is used in
coal fired power stations to scrub off as much as 99% of
SOx emissions.
o NOx - low NOx burners, selective catalytic reduction
(SCR) and selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR)
technologies can reduce NOx emissions by around 80-90%
o Fluidised bed combustion (FBC) - coal is burned in a bed of
heated particles suspended in flowing air. At high air
velocities, the bed acts as a fluid resulting in the rapid
mixing of the particles. This fluidising action allows
complete coal combustion at relatively low temperatures.
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Flue gas desulphurization

http://www.worldcoal.org/coal-the-environment/coal-use-the-environment/

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Group work

Suggest methods to reduce CO2

accumulation in our environment.

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Clean coal technology

4. CO2 reduction
o Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) - coal is
not combusted directly but reacted with oxygen and
steam to produce a syngas composed mainly of
hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This syngas then
burnt in a gas turbine to generate electricity and to
produce steam. It then removes impurities from the
syngas before it is combusted. Some of these
pollutants, such as sulfur, can be turned into re-usable
byproducts. This results in lower emissions of sulfur
dioxide, particulates, and mercury. The resulting
carbon dioxide from the shift reaction can be
compressed and stored.
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Gasification process

http://www.energy.siemens.com/hq/en/fossil-power-generation/power-plants/integrated-gasification-combined-cycle

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Clean coal technology

4. CO2 reduction
o carbon capture and
storage (CCS) - Carbon
dioxide can be injected
into the earths
subsurface, a technique
known as geological
storage. In depleted
oilfields, enhanced oil
recovery (EOR) and
enhanced coalbed
methane recovery (ECBM)
are used to push oil out
of underground strata.

Diagram courtesy of IEA GHG R&D Programme

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Clean coal technology

4. CO2 reduction

o Algae carbon capture Algae live on a high

concentration of carbon
dioxide and nitrogen
dioxide. These pollutants
are released by chemical
plants. These pollutants
can serve as nutrients for
Source: http://carboncapturestoragecycle.otmamto.com/
the algae.
The algae production facilities can thus be fed with the
exhaust gases from these plants to significantly increase
the algal productivity and clean up the air. An additional
benefit from this technology is that the oil found in algae
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can be processed into a biodiesel.

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Further readings (in LMS)

1. The coal resource - a comprehensive overview
of coal
(Good overview, mining process, uses, markets,
environmental concerns and lots of nice pics)
2. Coal meeting the climate challenge technology
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
(Challenges and solution to coal pollution)
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