The effect of emulsification on the selective agglomeration of fine coal

Abstract

The coal beneficiation processes that extract coal particles using an agitated oil-water mixture may be generally termed selective agglomeration. One criticism of these processes has been that high energy inputs are needed to cause phase separation. Energy savings, however, may be obtained by the efficient emulsification of the oil phase (using say, a jet whistle emulsifier), prior to its addition to the raw coal pulp. In this work, the effect of prior emulsification on process parameters such as inversion time, product ash and recovery of organic material has been investigated for a number of different oils. Indications are that the inclusion of prior emulsification in the selective-agglomeration process will allow the exploitation of previously disregarded heavy oils. The use of these oils could bring substantial cost savings.