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.