Solvent recovery from solvent-fine coal slurries by filtration and steam stripping
Dewatering of fine coal is a significant industrial challenge with economic and environmental implications. Due to the lack of suitable dewatering technologies, fine coal particles are often discarded to waste impoundments, leading to substantial loss of valuable natural resources while creating env...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Thermal Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fther.2023.1239800/full |
| _version_ | 1797739623727759360 |
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| author | Michael Huylo Kaiwu Huang Aaron Noble Roe-Hoan Yoon Rui Qiao |
| author_facet | Michael Huylo Kaiwu Huang Aaron Noble Roe-Hoan Yoon Rui Qiao |
| author_sort | Michael Huylo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dewatering of fine coal is a significant industrial challenge with economic and environmental implications. Due to the lack of suitable dewatering technologies, fine coal particles are often discarded to waste impoundments, leading to substantial loss of valuable natural resources while creating environmental problems. The hydrophobic-hydrophilic separation (HHS) process is a unique solution to this problem. In this process, a recyclable solvent is used to simultaneously remove inorganic impurities (ash) and water from a run-of-mine fine coal slurry. A small amount of recyclable oil (or solvent) is added to a fine coal slurry so that the solvent can spontaneously displace the water from the surface of coal particles. The spent solvent is subsequently recovered and recycled in a closed loop. Here, we report the results obtained using two different solvents, i.e., pentane and hexane, to de-ash and dewater ultrafine coal and recover the spent solvent by filtration, followed by steam stripping. Most of the spent solvent can be recovered during the filtration step at 20 psig N₂ and at a 60 s filtration time. The residual solvent left in the cake was then recovered using steam under different conditions. The results showed that the residual solvent concentration could be reduced to <1,400 ppm after 10 s of steam stripping at 150°C and 15 psig. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:00:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-81a972c7d32d4158bf6e4c65db22a7d5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2813-0456 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:00:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Thermal Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-81a972c7d32d4158bf6e4c65db22a7d52023-08-22T07:38:34ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Thermal Engineering2813-04562023-08-01310.3389/fther.2023.12398001239800Solvent recovery from solvent-fine coal slurries by filtration and steam strippingMichael Huylo0Kaiwu Huang1Aaron Noble2Roe-Hoan Yoon3Rui Qiao4Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United StatesDepartment of Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United StatesDepartment of Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United StatesDepartment of Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United StatesDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United StatesDewatering of fine coal is a significant industrial challenge with economic and environmental implications. Due to the lack of suitable dewatering technologies, fine coal particles are often discarded to waste impoundments, leading to substantial loss of valuable natural resources while creating environmental problems. The hydrophobic-hydrophilic separation (HHS) process is a unique solution to this problem. In this process, a recyclable solvent is used to simultaneously remove inorganic impurities (ash) and water from a run-of-mine fine coal slurry. A small amount of recyclable oil (or solvent) is added to a fine coal slurry so that the solvent can spontaneously displace the water from the surface of coal particles. The spent solvent is subsequently recovered and recycled in a closed loop. Here, we report the results obtained using two different solvents, i.e., pentane and hexane, to de-ash and dewater ultrafine coal and recover the spent solvent by filtration, followed by steam stripping. Most of the spent solvent can be recovered during the filtration step at 20 psig N₂ and at a 60 s filtration time. The residual solvent left in the cake was then recovered using steam under different conditions. The results showed that the residual solvent concentration could be reduced to <1,400 ppm after 10 s of steam stripping at 150°C and 15 psig.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fther.2023.1239800/fullcoal finesdewateringsteam strippingfiltration cakesdrying |
| spellingShingle | Michael Huylo Kaiwu Huang Aaron Noble Roe-Hoan Yoon Rui Qiao Solvent recovery from solvent-fine coal slurries by filtration and steam stripping Frontiers in Thermal Engineering coal fines dewatering steam stripping filtration cakes drying |
| title | Solvent recovery from solvent-fine coal slurries by filtration and steam stripping |
| title_full | Solvent recovery from solvent-fine coal slurries by filtration and steam stripping |
| title_fullStr | Solvent recovery from solvent-fine coal slurries by filtration and steam stripping |
| title_full_unstemmed | Solvent recovery from solvent-fine coal slurries by filtration and steam stripping |
| title_short | Solvent recovery from solvent-fine coal slurries by filtration and steam stripping |
| title_sort | solvent recovery from solvent fine coal slurries by filtration and steam stripping |
| topic | coal fines dewatering steam stripping filtration cakes drying |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fther.2023.1239800/full |
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