Carbonylation studies with Illinois No. 6 bituminous coal

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) Vol. 60; no. 1; pp. 83 - 86
• Main Authors: Duty, Robert C., Hussmann, Gregory P., Austin, James
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 1981
• ISSN: 0016-2361; 1873-7153
• DOI: 10.1016/0016-2361(81)90037-5

Sodium metal and carbon dioxide were used to carbonylate Illinois No. 6 coal in a 1 l, high-pressure, autoclave in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran from 150 to 350 °C. Solubility of the reaction products in tetrahydrofuran and water, and the sodium uptake in the insoluble residue were determined. The reduction and subsequent carbonylation of coal produced a limited amount of solubility in these solvents, and the uptake of sodium in the insoluble residue reached a maximum of 6.29% at 250 °C with no carbon dioxide added. This corresponded to a ratio of sodium atoms per 1000 carbon atoms of 62.9, a 69-fold increase over the unreacted dried coal. Total acidity and carboxyl group content were calculated for the insoluble residues and unreacted bituminous coal. The per cent increase of carboxyl groups reached a maximum of 1.37 meq g −1 at 2000 °C which represents a 174% increase over the unreacted coal.