Coal Pyrolysis Reactions

Abstract

Pyrolysis processes are among the most important of coal’s reactions and a necessary process for the production of coke used in multiple industries. Additionally, the study of pyrolysis processes gives insight into the structure and composition of different types of coal. Owing to the complexity of these chemical and physical decomposition processes, they remain poorly understood. In this chapter, we discuss some of the general physical and chemical models that are used to describe the changes that various types of coal undergo during thermal decomposition in the absence of oxygen. The distribution of chemical products, kinetics and thermodynamic parameters of pyrolysis reactions are introduced and related to specific experimental methods and techniques. In this context, the findings of studies into various types of Chinese coal are presented. This includes discussion of the stages that occur at different pyrolysis temperatures and how the pyrolysis behavior is affected by coal type. The results we present are rationalized in terms of the structural properties of the coal.