Production of carbon molecular sieves from Illinois coal; [Quarterly] technical report, September 1, 1993--November 30, 1993

Abstract

Carbon molecular sieves (CMS) have become an increasingly important class of adsorbents for use in gas separation and recovery processes. The overall objective of this project is to determine whether Illinois Basin coal is a suitable feedstock for the production of CMS and to evaluate the potential application of these products in commercial gas separation processes. In Phase I of this project, gram quantities of char were produced from IBC-102 coal in a fixed-bed reactor under a wide range of pyrolysis and activation conditions. Chars having surface areas. of 1500--2100 m{sup 2}/g were produced by chemical activation using potassium hydroxide as the activant. These high surface area chars had more than twice the adsorption capacity of commercial molecular sieves. The kinetics of adsorption of various gases, i.e., O{sub 2}, N{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, CH{sub 4} and H{sub 2} on these chars at 25{degree}C was studied. Several chars showed good potential for efficient O{sub 2}/N{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}/CH{sub 4}, CO{sub 2}/H{sub 2} and CH{sub 4}/H{sub 2} separation; both high adsorption capacities and selectivities were achieved. The full potential of these materials in commercial gas separations has yet to be realized. In Phase II, the optimal preparation conditions determined in Phase I will be applied to production of larger quantities of CMS in a batch fluidized-bed reactor (FBR) and continuous rotary tube kiln (RTK).