The use of microwave heating for the pyrolysis of coal via inorganic receptors of microwave energy

“…Coal has also been processed by microwave-assisted pyrolysis at temperatures up to 1300°C in order to produce condensible tars for use as a fuel [164,165]…”

Section: Upgrading Naturally Occurring Hydrocarbon Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis of HDPE using an activated carbon bed

et al. 2012

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Plastics play an enormous role in modern manufacturing, but the extraction and refining of raw materials, followed by the synthesis of plastics themselves, represents an enormous energy investment into a product that is all too often simply "thrown away" into a landfill after a single use. Microwave-assisted pyrolysis is a recycling technique that allows the recovery of chemical value from plastic waste by breaking down polymers into useful smaller hydrocarbons using microwave heat in the absence of oxygen. This dissertation examines the use of a catalytic activated carbon bed in this procedure, using high density polyethylene (HDPE) as a model plastic. Initial tests with the batch input of HDPE produced a condensed pyrolysis oil comprising 35.5-45.3% aromatics, with the remainder primarily short-chain aliphatics. This oil was approximately three times lighter than that produced in the absence of catalyst, with a narrower range of molecular masses that matched those of the liquid transport fuels petrol and diesel (C 5-C 21). The non-condensable gases that resulted were short-chain aliphatics that could be used as feedstock for the creation of new chemicals (such as virgin HDPE), or fuels such as natural gas and LPG. The development of apparatus capable of adding sample in a continuous fashion enabled the processing of larger quantities of HDPE, and resulted in condensed products with a significantly higher aromatic content (>80% at 450°C), and which I owe a debt of thanks to many people for the support and kindness they have shown me throughout my time in Cambridge. I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Howard Chase, for his generous provision of tutelage, expertise, and support throughout the production of this work. A further thank you to my colleagues and the department support staff for their extremely skilled time and advice. I would also like to acknowledge the generous financial support that I have received from the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, The Higher Education Funding Council for

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“…8) Various researchers have reported on utilizing susceptors to enhance certain metallurgical reactions during microwave heating. Substances such as CuO, V2O5, WO3, Fe2O3 and even metallurgical coke were utilized by Monsef-Mirzai and co-workers 9,10) as microwave susceptors. Other substances included for example different chars.…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2,9,11) This necessitates the addition of a microwave susceptor material, such as coke or char or metal oxides to enhance the heating of the coal. The addition of a proportion of the susceptor enhances both the heating rate in a microwave field, due to a very rapid energy transfer into the material being heated, and also the rate of reduction of the susceptor for the case where the susceptor is a metal oxide.…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Additives on Cokemaking from a Semi-soft Coking Coal during Microwave Heating

Coetzer¹,

Rossouw

2012

ISIJ Int.

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Coke was produced from a Waterberg semi-soft coking coal using microwave heating and selected microwave susceptors. Waterberg semi-soft coking coal is poorly susceptible to microwave heating, especially below 500°C, and therefore requires microwave susceptors. Susceptors were selected from ferroalloy fines and their respective ores.Various batch experiments were performed on compressed discs utilizing a resonant microwave cavity at a constant 915 MHz frequency to heat a batch of about 5 to 7 kg of the semi-soft coking coal (sscc) to obtain coke. Materials were characterized using Inductive Coupled Plasma (ICP) analysis and coke strength tests.Dielectric property results showed that chrome and manganese ores, as well as their respective high carbon ferrochrome and ferromanganese alloys, are suitable microwave susceptors to enable rapid coke formation during microwave heating. Coke formation was completed within 2 to 3 hours up to 1 100°C compared to 21 hours for a commercial plant since microwave heating reduces the "cold centre" in a coke oven. Obtained coke strengths were slightly lower than for a commercial coke but still of a high quality. It was also shown that the admixture of chrome ore resulted in its partial reduction which will be advantageous to the ferrochrome industry since this method allows for recycling of fines without additional pelletisation. The results also showed that microwave energy has the potential to be employed during commercial coke formation, either on its own or as a hybrid technology.

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The use of microwave heating for the pyrolysis of coal via inorganic receptors of microwave energy

Cited by 47 publications

References 3 publications

Microwave Pyrolysis of Plastic Wastes

Microwave Pyrolysis of Plastic Wastes

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis of HDPE using an activated carbon bed

Influence of Additives on Cokemaking from a Semi-soft Coking Coal during Microwave Heating

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