| 摘要 |
A method of preparing low-sulfur, low-ash fuel from coal while simultaneously recovering valuable chemical products and taking advantage of a surprising co-action between comminution and dissolution and characterized as the steps of comminuting the coal in the presence of an alcohol containing 1-4 carbons atoms, inclusive; forming an admixture of the comminuted coal and alcohol to have a desired minimum of solids; separating the admixture into a first underflow of high density solids, a first middling stream of coal in alcohol and a first overflow stream of the alcohol and its dissolved and suspended constituents; separating the first underflow into a second underflow having therein the sulfur and solids that would form ash if burned and a second overflow comprising a dilute slurry of the coal in the alcohol and dissolved and suspended constituents; separating the first middling stream into a third underflow of high density solids, a second middling stream of coal with only a minor amount of sulfur and high density solids and a third overflow comprising the alcohol and dissolved and suspended constituents; separating the first overflow into a fourth underflow and a fourth overflow; refining the fourth overflow into respective desired chemical products, or constituents and the alcohol; and forming a low-sulfur, low-ash fuel from the second middling stream. Also disclosed are specific preferred steps including the treatment of the low-sulfur, low-ash coal to turn it into a puffed coal that burns readily to produce a hot flame with very low pollution emissions, while recovering alcohol and valuable chemicals, organic gases and the like. |
