Coal Desulfurization during Gaseous Treatment

Sulfur removal from coal during treatment with gaseous atmospheres at elevated temperatures is of interest both because such a treatment might serve as a basis for a coal desulfurization process ( 1, 2, 3 ) and because knowledge of the fate of sulfur when coal is heated has application during carbonization or gasification. Early interest in desulfurization under these conditions concentrated mainly on the production of metallurgical coke. The various approaches included pretreatment of the coal before carbonization, carbonization of the coal in various gases to remove sulfur compounds, or treatment of the coke to reduce its sulfur content. Only recently has interest turned to desulfurization of coal or char for use as a power plant fuel. Sulfur removal from coal during carbonization has been investigated both with and without the addition of reactive gases such as hydrogen and oxygen. During carbonization in the presence of only the gases derived from the coal, hydrogen