Eastern coals reactions

Conventional liquefaction processes developed for Eastern bituminous coals might not be the best choice for Western low-rank coals because of the substantial property and structural differences between them. In general, low-rank coals are more susceptible to reaction with H2, CO, or H2S. 

Figure 2 Schematic diagram illustrating high-femperature reactions for minerals in an Eastern-type coal under reducing conditions. Reproduced with permission from reference Copyright 1983 Engineering Foundation.

Burow et al. (96) recently explored the utility of liquid SO2 for the removal of organic sulfur from Eastern bituminous coals. Liquid SO2 is supposed to be an excellent solvent for aromatic heterocyclic and alkyl sulfides derived from coal. They have considered the mild Lewis acid characteristics of SO2 and presented the following scheme for reaction... 

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