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New and improved carbon products derived from coal

Objective

This joint project comprises seven sub-projects covering two aspects of carbonisation :

- Reduction of coke production costs and of environmental emissions by improvement of the constitution and preparation of coal blends;

- production or use of special cokes, chars or carbon for new applications, especially for depollution and the manufacture of electrodes.

Descriptions of the individual parts of the project are given below.

Development of techniques to enable increased use of low cost filler coals and coke oven carbonaceous waste in coking blends (BS / U. Loughborough / CRE Group)

The availability of relatively cheap but inferior coals has resulted in their use as 'filler' materials to reduce the cost of coking blends. However, in conventional coking practice, only relatively small amounts of such coals can be accommodated without adversely affecting coke quality and hence blast furnace performance.

In order to increase the proportion of filler coal, the coal must be pre-treated or upgraded. The sub-project is aimed at the study of one-such pre-treatment process, agglomeration of a part of the coal to increase the density of the coke oven charge. Partial densification also increases oven productivity and reduces emissions on oven charging. Moreover, the recycling of certain by-products as binders could give significant environmental and cost benefits.

The agglomeration techniques developed will be assessed on both a technical and an economic basis.

Reduction of production cost of coke by using low volatile coals and additives (CSM)

The principal aim of the sub-project is to minimise coke production costs without loss of quality through the introduction of low volatile coals. Further objectives are :

- to increase coke yield;

- to reduce the amount of coke oven gas produced, with consequent benefits for the environment;

- to reduce the amount of tar produced, which will help to minimise internal gas pressure;

- to reduce the amount of graphite formed in the oven;

- to improve the cracking of the coal volatile matter.

Coal blends for testing will be formulated in consultation with the other partners in the project.

Reduction of production cost of coke by using low volatile coals and additives (CPM)

The aim of the research is to produce high quality coke at lower cost by using high rank, poorly-coking coals, by increasing the cracking of the volatile matter in the coke oven, by recycling coal tars and by introducing additives to the coal blend.

The results are expected to lead to a reduction of tar production, a decrease of the risk of high wall pressure in the coke oven, a decrease of carry-over during oven charging, and an improvement in coke quality. At constant coke production and coke quality, the battery temperature could be lowered, thus lengthening the service life. A combination of these parameters would lead to a minimisation of production costs.

As in other parts of the project, blends will be tested on the pilot scale. Emissions during oven discharge will be measured on the industrial scale using equipment developed in an earlier ECSC project.

Low cost of coke by increasing low volatile in coal blends (CSIC (INCAR))

The general aims are the same as those of the preceding sub-projects. Special attention will be paid to the use of low volatile coals that give rise to dangerous coking pressures, using a range of additives to minimise this effect.

After laboratory and pilot tests, selected blends will be carbonised in INCAR's 6-tonne oven to obtain results practically at the industrial scale.

Quality improvements in the production of coke for novel applications in the environmental sector (Rheinbraun)

This sub-project is a continuation of earlier work on optimisation of the rotary hearth process for the production of lignite coke for environmental purposes. in particular, agglomeration of the lignite will be investigated as a means of improving the size distribution of the product.

In addition, the coke's range of application will be enlarged by adapting pore structure and surface properties to applications such as :

- drinking water purification;

- decolorization of textile waste waters;

- adsorption of organic compounds from waste gases;

- removal of N0x from waste gases in the glass industry.

New applications for untreated lignite coke will also be investigated.

Briquetting of chars from sub-bituminous coals for flue gas cleaning (CSIC (Zaragoza))

The project is concerned with the briquetting of chars from low rank coal for use in low temperature flue gas cleaning (removal Of SO2 and NO). The optimal combination of briquette strength, porosity and surface area will be sought by concentrating on the following points :

- char preparation : effect of temperature and heating rate;

- char and tar characterisation;

- briquetting : influence of temperature, pressure and the amount of binder tar; ,

- briquette carbonisation : influence of temperature and atmosphere on surface area and porosity;

- measurement of briquette strength by standard methods;

- tests of adsorption/catalytic performance of the product on the laboratory scale.

Utilisation of self-baking electrodes in the production of silicon metal (CSIC (Zaragoza))

The aim of the research is to develop a self-baking electrode with a graphite core to which will be cheaper to manufacture than the pre-baked electrodes traditionally used in silicon production.

Several commercial electrode pastes used in the manufacture of aluminium and ferro-alloys will be tested. The density, resistivity and tensile strength of test electrodes from these pastes will be compared with those of baked electrodes, and correlations between paste properties and electrode characteristics will be determined. The adhesion of the paste to the graphite core will also be studied.

The development of new test methods for the identification of dangerously swelling coal characteristics in coke oven carbonisation (U. Newcastle)

The overall aim of the project is to improve the understanding of coal structure in relation to carbonisation and to develop new test methods for assessing carbonisation behaviour on the basis of macromolecular structure and the changes undergone by the latter as carbonisation proceeds. Such methods will facilitate the pre-identification of dangerously swelling coals in order to avoid the problem of sticking of the charge in the coke oven with consequent disruption of production schedules and damage to the oven.

The specific objectives of the research are

- to study the effect of coal rank and carbonisation conditions on macromolecular structure;

- to develop the use of the solvent swelling technique as a test method for characterisation of macromolecular structure;

- to study the changes in the macromolecular structure of coal as it passes through the plastic zone;

- to study the relations between coal structure, characterisation data and the wall pressures developed in carbonisation;

- to differentiate between safe and dangerous coals by the use of test methods for characterising macromolecular structure.

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

Centre de Pyrolyse de Marienau
EU contribution
No data
Address

57612 Forbach Cedex
France

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Total cost
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Participants (8)

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Last update: 28 November 1996

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/7220-EB-344

European Union, 2024