Reactivity of Argonne coals in the presence of cyclic olefins and other donors

Abstract

The reactivity of eight coals from the Argonne Premium Sample Bank ranging in rank from lignite to low volatile bituminous coal was evaluated in the presence and absence of hydrogen donors. The effect of highly reactive cyclic olefins, isotetralin and hexahydroanthracene (HHA), on coal conversion to tetrahydrofuran soluble material was compared to that of more conventional hydroaromatic donors — tetralin (TET), dihydroanthracene (DHA), and octahydroanthracene (OHA). The Argonne coals were ranked according to their reactivity in an inert solvent, hexadecane, and in Maya resid. These rankings, based on averages, agreed with those calculated by a computed signal-to-noise ratio which measures simultaneously average and variability of coal conversion. The high volatile bituminous coals, Illinois No. 6, Western Kentucky No. 9, Pittsburgh No. 8, and Blind Canyon, were the most reactive. The three-ring hydrogen donors, DHA and HHA, were the most effective for transferring hydrogen to coal, whereas OHA and TET were the least effective. The reaction products obtained from each of the hydrogen donors were different and specific to each reaction. The reactivity of the coal, the ease and effectiveness of hydrogen donation from the donor, and, to a lesser degree, the solvent medium present affected the extent of reaction occurring for each coal system.