Comparison of pulverized coal combustion in air and in O2/CO2 mixtures by thermo-gravimetric analysis

Thermo-gravimetric technique was used to study the combustion characteristics of pulverized coal in different O₂/CO₂ environments. The effects of combustion environment, oxygen concentration, particle size and heating rate were considered and the differences of pulverized coal pyrolysis, combustion and gaseous compounds release under two environments were analyzed. Results show that the coal pyrolysis in CO₂ environment can be divided into three stages: moisture release, devolatilization and char gasification by CO₂ in higher temperature zone. In the lower temperature zone, the mass loss rate of coal pyrolysis in CO₂ environment is lower than that in N₂ environment. The burning process of pulverized coal in O₂/CO₂ environment is delayed compared with that in O₂/N₂ environment for equivalent oxygen concentrations. With the oxygen concentration increase or the coal particle size decrease, the burning rate of coal increases and burnout time is shortened. As the heating rate increases, coal particles are faster heated in a short period of time and burnt in a higher temperature region, but the increase in heating rate has almost no obvious effect on the combustion mechanism of pulverized coal. During the programmed heating process, species in flue gas including H₂O, CO₂, CO, CH₄, SO₂ and NO were determined and analyzed using the Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. Compared with pulverized coal combustion in O₂/N₂ environment, much more CO is produced in O₂/CO₂ coal combustion process, but the releases of SO₂ and NO are less than those released in O₂/N₂ environment. The present results might have important implications for understanding the intrinsic mechanics of pulverized coal combustion in O₂/CO₂ environment.     

Sulfur evolution from coal combustion in O2/CO2 mixture

O₂/CO₂ coal combustion technology is considered as one of the most promising technologies for CO₂ sequestration due to its economical advantages and technical feasibility. It is significant to study the sulfur transfer behavior of coal in O₂/CO₂ atmosphere for organizing combustion properly and controlling SO₂ emission effectively. To clarify the effect of atmosphere on the sulfur transfer behavior, thermogravimetry coupled with Fourier Transform Infrared (TG-FTIR) system was employed to study the formation behavior of sulfur-containing gas species from Xuzhou bituminous coal pyrolysis in CO₂ atmosphere compared with that in N₂ atmosphere. Also the SO₂ formation behaviors during Xuzhou bituminous coal combustion in O₂/N₂ and O₂/CO₂ atmospheres were investigated. Results show that COS is preferentially formed during the coal pyrolysis process in CO₂ atmosphere rather than in N₂ atmosphere. When temperature is above 1000 K, sulfate in the CO₂ atmosphere begins to decompose due to the reduction effect of CO, which comes from the CO₂ gasification. During coal combustion process, replacing N₂ with CO₂ enhances the SO₂ releasing rate. SO₂ emission increases first and then decreases as O₂ fraction increases in the O₂/CO₂ mixture. XPS result of the ash after combustion indicates that higher O₂ concentration elevates the sulfur retention ability of the mineral matter in the coal.     

Investigation into the adsorption of CO2, N2 and CH4 on kaolinite clay

Investigating the adsorption characteristics of CO₂, N₂ and CH₄ on kaolinite clay is beneficial for enhanced shale gas recovery by gas injection. In this paper, the experiments of CO₂, N₂ and CH₄ adsorption at 288 K, 308 K and 328 K on kaolinite clay were conducted, and the thermodynamics analysis of adsorption of three gases was performed. The findings reveal that the order of the uptakes of three gases on kaolinite clay is as follows: N₂ < CH₄ < CO₂. Reducing temperature enlarges the separation coefficients of CO₂ over CH₄ (α_CO2/CH4), CO₂ over N₂ (α_CO2/N2), and CH₄ over N₂ (α_CH4/N2). The value of α_CO2/CH4 greater than one validates that CO₂ is capable to directly replace the pre-adsorbed CH₄. The spontaneity of CO₂ adsorption is the highest, while N₂ has the lowest adsorption spontaneity. Injecting N₂ into gas-bearing reservoir can cause CH₄ desorption by lowering the spontaneity of CH₄ adsorption. Adsorbed CO₂ molecules form a most ordered rearrangement on kaolinite surface. The decrease rate of entropy loss for N₂ adsorption is higher than those for CO₂ and CH₄ adsorption.     

Effects of supercritical CO2 exposure on diffusion and adsorption kinetics of CH4, CO2 and water vapor in various rank coals

The physico-chemical effects caused by supercritical CO₂ (ScCO₂) exposure is one of the leading problems for CO₂ storage in deep coal seams as it will significantly alter the flow behaviors of gases. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ScCO₂ injection on diffusion and adsorption kinetics of CH₄, CO₂ and water vapor in various rank coals. The powdered coal samples were immersed in ScCO₂ for 30 days using a high-pressure sealed reactor. Then, the diffusion and adsorption kinetics of CH₄, CO₂ and water vapor in the coals both before and after exposure were examined. Results indicate that the diffusivities of CH₄ and CO₂ are significantly increased due to the combined matrix swelling and solvent effect caused by ScCO₂ exposure, which may induce secondary faults and remove some volatile matters that block the pore throats. On the other hand, the diffusivities of water vapor are reduced due to the elimination of surface functional groups with ScCO₂ exposure. It is concluded that density of the surface function groups is the controlling factor for water vapor diffusion rather than the pore properties. The unipore model and pseudo-first-order equation can simulate the diffusion and adsorption kinetics of CH₄ and CO₂ very well, but the unipore model is not capable of well describing water vapor diffusion. The effective diffusivity (D_e), diffusion coefficient (D) and adsorption rates (k₁) of CH₄ and CO₂ are significantly increased after ScCO₂ exposure, while the values of water vapor are decreased notably. Thus, the injection of ScCO₂ will efficiently improve the transport properties of CH₄ and CO₂ but hinder the movement of water molecules in coal seams.     

Effects of additional gases on the catalytic decomposition of N2O over Cu-ZSM-5

N₂O decomposition into N₂ and O₂ was investigated in the presence of O₂, NO, CO₂, CO, CH₄, SO₂ and water vapor. Activity inhibition was observed in the presence of water vapor, and oxidant gases, whilst the reductant gases, enhanced the catalytic activity, in the temperature range of 350–550°C.     

Transport properties of polyphenylquinoxalines

The correlation between chemical structure and gas transport properties is considered for a new class of membrane materials based on structurally similar polyphenylquinoxalines that are characterized by different numbers of flexible-O-ether bonds in the repeating unit and different chain rigidities. Permeability, diffusion, and solubility coefficients have been estimated for the gases H₂, He, O₂, N₂, CO, CO₂, and CH₄; separation factors for various gas pairs have been determined. For the materials with a similar level of cohesive energy density, which characterizes interchain interactions, permeability decreases with a decrease in chain rigidity, whereas selectivity of gas separation increases.     

Thermodynamic equilibrium study of mineral elements evaporation in O2/CO2 recycle combustion

The facility for the analysis of chemical thermodynamics method (F*A*C*T) based on the Gibbs energy minimization principle, was used to characterize the evaporation of mineral elements of coal in O₂/CO₂ recycle combustion. The effects of atmosphere and temperature on the speciation of mineral species were discussed. The results show that Na(K)Cl(g), FeO(g), and SiO(g) are the dominant gaseous species of the mineral elements. The dominant species of mineral elements in flue gases depend on both the combustion conditions (reducing or oxidizing) and the atmosphere. In O₂/CO₂ mixture combustion, the evaporation rate of mineral elements is much lower than that in air combustion, especially under reducing atmosphere. The total evaporation of mineral elements in O₂/CO₂ atmosphere and air combustion under reducing conditions is 4.46% and 9.65% respectively, up to the temperature of 2400 K. The calculation values are consistent with the experiment values. The decrease in the mineral element evaporation is helpful to suppress the tendency to form fine particle matter and the tendency of initial ash deposition.     

Effect of methyl substituents on permeability and permselectivity of gases in polyimides prepared from methyl-substituted phenylenediamines

Permeability and solubility coefficients for H₂, CO₂, O₂, CO, N₂, and CH₄ in polyimides prepared from 6FDA and methyl-substituted phenylenediamines were measured to investigate effects of the substituents on gas permeability and permselectivity. The methyl substituents restrict internal rotation around the bonds between the phenyl rings and the imide rings. The rigidity and nonplanar structure of the polymer chain, and the bulkiness of methyl groups make chain packing inefficient, resulting in increases in both diffusion and solubility coefficients of the gases. Polyimides from tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine and trimethyl-m-phenylenediamine display very high permeability coefficients and very low permselectivity due to very high diffusion coefficients and very low diffusivity selectivity, as compared with the other polyimides having a similar fraction of free space. This suggests that these polyimides have high fractions of large-size free spaces.     

Physicochemical properties of ceramic tape involving Ca<Subscript>0.05</Subscript> Ba<Subscript>0.95</Subscript> Ce<Subscript>0.9</Subscript>Y<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> as an electrolyte designed for electrolyte-supported solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs)

Energetic materials such as a mixture of guanidine nitrate (GN)/basic copper nitrate (BCN) are used as gas generators in automotive airbag systems. However, at the time of the airbag inflation, the gas generators release toxic combustion gases such as CO, NH₃, and NO_x. In this study, we investigated the combustion and thermal decomposition behaviors of GN/BCN mixture, focusing primarily on their exhaust gas composition. As a result, when the exhaust gas of the combustion under constant pressure in an inert gas stream was analyzed using a detection tube, the amount of NO_x (mainly NO) yielded greater decrease with increasing atmospheric pressure as compared to the amounts of CO and NH₃. Thus, provided GN/BCN is ignited in a closed container, a large amount of NO_x is presumed to have been released during the initial stage of combustion, which yielded comparatively low pressure. Results of the thermogravimetry–differential scanning calorimetry–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG/DSC/FTIR) indicated that the GN/BCN mixture caused endothermic decomposition at 170 °C and exothermic decomposition at 208 °C, which was accompanied by 66% mass loss. The decomposition gases, CO₂, N₂O, and H₂O, were detected via FTIR spectrum. Because N₂O was not detected in the combustion gas, it was suggested that the detected N₂O was generated at a low temperature and decomposed in high-temperature combustion.     

Preparation of activated carbons and their adsorption properties for greenhouse gases: CH4 and CO2

Three kinds of activated carbons were prepared using coconut-shells as carbon precursors and characterized by XRD, FT-IR and texture property test. The results indicate that the prepared activated carbons were mainly amorphous and only a few impurity groups were adsorbed on their surfaces. The texture property test reveals that the activated carbons displayed different texture properties, especially the micropore size distribution. The adsorption capacities of the activated carbons were investigated by adsorbing CH4, CO2, N2 and O2 at 25 ?C in the pressure range of 0-200 kPa. The results reveal that all the activated carbons had high CO2 adsorption capacity, one of which had the highest CO2 adsorption value of 2.55 mmol/g at 200 kPa. And the highest adsorption capacity for CH4 of the activated carbons can reach 1.93 mmol/g at 200 kPa. In the pressure range of 0-200 kPa, the adsorption capacities for N2 and O2 were increased linearly with the change of pressure and K-AC is an excellent adsorbent towards the adsorption separation of greenhouse gases.     

A recyclable polyoxometalate-based supramolecular chemosensor for efficient detection of carbon dioxide

A new type of supramolecular chemosensor based on the polyoxometalate (POM) Na₉DyW₁₀O₃₆ (DyW₁₀) and the block copolymer poly(ethylene oxide-b-N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PEO₁₁₄-b-PDMAEMA₁₆) is reported. By taking advantage of the CO₂ sensitivity of PDMAEMA blocks to protonate the neutral tertiary amino groups, CO₂ can induce the electrostatic coassembly of anionic DyW₁₀ with protonated PDMAEMA blocks, and consequently trigger the luminescence chromism of DyW₁₀ due to the change in the microenvironment of Dy³⁺. The hybrid complex in dilute aqueous solution is very sensitive to CO₂ content and shows rapid responsiveness in luminescence. The luminescence intensity of the DyW₁₀/PEO-b-PDMAEMA complex increases linearly with an increasing amount of dissolved CO₂, which permits the qualitative and quantitative detection of CO₂. The complex solution also shows good selectivity for CO₂, with good interference tolerance of CO, N₂, HCl, H₂O and SO₂. The supramolecular chemosensor can be recycled through disassembly of the hybrid complex by simply purging with inert gases to remove CO₂.     

Fast pyrolysis of coals under N2 and CO2 atmospheres

Oxyfuel combustion represents one way for cleaner energy production using coal as combustible. The comparison between the oxycombustion and the conventional air combustion process starts with the investigation of the pyrolysis step. The aim of this contribution is to evaluate the impact of N₂ (for conventional air combustion) and CO₂ (for oxy-fuel combustion) atmospheres during pyrolysis of three different coals. The experiments are conducted in a drop tube furnace over a wide temperature range 800–1400 °C and for residence time ranging between 0.2 and 1.2 s. Coal devolatilized in N₂ and CO₂ atmospheres at low temperatures (?1200 °C) and longer residence times (>?0.5 s), the char-CO₂ reaction is clearly observed, whose intensity depends on the nature of the coal. Furthermore, the volatile yields are simulated using Kobayashi’s scheme and kinetic parameters are predicted for each coal. The char gasification under CO₂ is also accounted for by the model.

     

Electrode Potentials of Cells with an Electrolyte Based on Zirconium Dioxide in Gas Mixtures N2+ O2+ CO2+ CO: A Platinum Electrode

Steady-state potentials of various platinum electrodes are measured in cells containing electrolyte ZrO₂+ Y₂O₃(10 mol %) in the temperature range 673–773 K in binary equilibrium gas mixtures N₂+ O₂and CO + CO₂, as well as in four-component nonequilibrium gas mixtures N₂+ O₂+ CO₂+ CO containing 0–3 vol % CO and 0–10 vol % O₂. Adding CO to a gas mixture makes the electrode potential deviate from equilibrium, which is explained by chemisorption of CO on the electrode. The oxygen, which is adsorbed on platinum, interacts with CO; as a result, CO₂undergoes desorption and the surface concentration of CO drops.     

Gas chromatographic determination of inorganic gases in high purity ethylene

Summary A simple and sensitive gas chromatographic method using the single column technique without an extreme working temperature range for the separation of O₂, N₂, CO and CO₂ was developed. The analysis was performed on micropacked columns filled with active charcoal with particle size distribution smaller than 20 m, using a microthermal conductivity detector. The results obtained show that such a column is capable of good separation of O₂, N₂ and CO at room temperature. To shorten the elution time of CO₂ the temperature has to be elevated above ambient temperature by about 100°C. Employing for ethylene removal the subtraction method introduced in gas chromatography very early by Ray, the achieved separation of inorganic gases was usefully applied for the determination of inorganic gases traces in high purity ethylene.     

Kinetics and equilibrium of adsorption on 4A zeolite

Adsorption isotherms for Ar, 0₂, N₂, CO, CO₂, CH₄, and C₂H₆ on 4A zeolite at three or more temperatures were determined. An adsorption equation based on a 2-dimensional virial equation in terms of integer powers of the reciprocal of (A - σ) was shown to fit the equilibrium data accurately with three constants for C₂H₆ and two constants for other gases. Here A is the area per molecule and σ is the area of the molecule in a close-packed situation.Rates of adsorption and desorption of Ar, N₂, CO, CH₄, and C₂H₆ on 4A zeolite were determined over ranges of temperature in which the rate was moderately fast. Electron microscopy showed that the particles were cubes, and their size-distribution was determined. The conventional Fick's law rate equation for cubes was used to produce a generalized rate curve for the particle size distribution of the adsorbent. This curve was applied to the last 20% of the rate curve to obtain a diffusivity that could be related to the final amount adsorbed. This procedure also avoids the initial rapid portion of the adsorption, in which large variations of adsorbent temperature from that of the bath often occur.The diffusivities increased with amount adsorbed by a small extent for Ar and CH₄ and by larger amounts for N₂, CO, and C₂H₆. The activation energy for diffusion, as well as the heat of adsorption, were nearly independent of amount adsorbed for Ar and CH₄, but these quantities decreased substantially with coverage for N₂, CO, and C₂H₆. The dependence upon amount adsorbed of diffusivity and activation energy seemed related to the shape of the adsorption isotherm; those for Ar and CH₄ were nearly linear, whereas isotherms for the other gases had large curvatures. The activation energy for diffusion varied with coverage in the same way as heat of adsorption.     

Photo-responsive azo MOF exhibiting high selectivity for CO2 and xylene isomers

A combination of azo and acylamide ligands is used in the preparation of metal–organic frameworks. Light response research reveals that under UV–vis irradiation, the CO₂ adsorption of 1 declines as much as 21.4%. 1 exhibits excellent CO₂ adsorption selectivity over CH₄, O₂, CO, and N₂ gasses with IAST selectivity of 21–580 at 293 K. This MOF also has promising potential in separation of xylene isomers in the liquid phase with the adsorption of p-xylene of 265.15, o-xylene of 101.25 and m-xylene of 0 mg g^?1, respectively.     

烟煤焦在H2O和CO2气氛下的结构演变与气化反应性关联

本研究以烟煤在1000 ℃热解所制得的焦样为研究对象,考察了其在H₂O、CO₂及两者混合气氛下的结构演变,以及气化反应性的影响。为了探究焦样在气化过程中的结构演变,利用氮吸附、SEM和拉曼光谱等表征手段分析不同碳转化率下的焦样结构。结果表明,H₂O气氛对焦样结构的演变明显不同于CO₂气氛,揭示了焦样在两种气氛下的反应路径不同。因结构演变的不同,随碳转化率的增加,焦样在两种气氛下表现出不同的气化反应性能。在CO₂气氛下,焦样的气化反应速率随碳转化率的增加而逐渐降低,与H₂O气氛存在下变化趋势相反。在H₂O和CO₂共气化条件下,煤焦在H₂O和CO₂混合气氛下的反应速率高于单气氛下的反应速率的计算值,表现出一定的协同作用。这是因为焦样与H₂O反应能够产生较大的比表面积,为焦样与CO₂反应提供更多的反应场所,促进了焦样与CO₂的反应。     

Gas permeability of high-temperature-resistant silicone polymer-vycor glass membrane

A high-temperature-resistant heterogeneous poly (dimethyl siloxane) membrane was prepared in situ by using monomer gas-phase polymerization in microporous media without employing prepolymerization. The permeation rates for various gases were measured at penetrant pressure up to 233 cmHg and at temperatures between 20°C and 200°C. The permeation rates for low-soluble gases, such as He, H₂, N₂, CO, O₂, and Ar, increased with increasing temperature. On the other hand, the permeation rates for highly soluble gases, such as C₂H₄ and CO₂, decreased with increasing temperature. For all gases, the permeation rate increases or decreases linearly with the increase of temperature. The turning points were observed for all gases in the temperature range of 140-160°C. Permeation rates of most gases decreased with the increase of temperature above the turning point, excepting those of helium and hydrogen.     

Transport properties of polyimides containing phenylquinoxaline moieties

The gas permeabilities of a number of new structurally related polyimides containing phenylquinoxaline moieties were studied for the first time. The test polymers had different dianhydride units, whereas their diamine components differed in the presence of flexible ether bonds-O-in the main chain, a structure that is reflected in the effective packing of chains and, as a result, in transport parameters. The permeability, diffusion, and solubility coefficients for the gases H₂, He, O₂, N₂, CO, CO₂, and CH₄, as well as the ideal separation factors for gas pairs, were determined. The transport characteristics of polymers were compared within the given polymer series and with published data for other polymer series.     

Gas storage of simple molecules in boron oxide nanocapsules

The capability of the B₂₀O₃₀ nanocapsule to store H₂, N₂, CO, CO₂, NH₃, CH₄, and Cl₂ molecules on the outer surface and inside of the cage was investigated using Monte Carlo simulations, long‐range and dispersion corrected density functional theory, and Møller–Plesset second‐order perturbation theory. Also, Monte Carlo simulations were employed to investigate the adsorption behavior of larger number of guest molecules inserted into and onto the larger B₈₀O₁₂₀ and B₂₀O₃₀@B₈₀O₁₂₀ cages. Absolute localized molecular orbitals energy decomposition analysis was used to describe the nature of intermolecular interactions in these endohedral and exohedral complexes. It is found that the hydrogen and ammonia gases are diffused to the inside of spherical B₂₀O₃₀ capsule, while other guest molecules prefer to interact with the outer surface of spherical and pyramidal capsules. For B₈₀O₁₂₀, up to 26 H₂ and 11–14 N₂, CO, CO₂, NH₃, and CH₄ molecules are stored inside the capsule. The residual molecules are adsorbed on the outer surface of nanocapsule. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.