| A solvent extraction technique for removing mineral matter, including the inorganic sulfur, from coal has been developed by the Department of Chemical Engineering at WVU. The extraction is preformed at mild conditions (202°C and atmospheric pressure) using the solvent N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP). Laboratory results have shown that this technique yields a clean coal product containing less than 1 percent ash and virtually no inorganic sulfur.; This research was conducted for further process design and economic development of an industrial-scale extraction process.; This research reported the possibility of production scale processing by constructing a pilot plant. The pilot plant was used to explore the issues of chemical safety, material and energy balance, solvent recovery, and quality of the product. It was necessary to develop an actual flow sheet, prepare a chemical hygiene plan, acquire and assemble equipment, and operate the pilot plant to collect the necessary data. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
