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Characterization, Processing and Utilization of Coal
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Characterization, Processing and Utilization of Coal

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 13440

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Irineu Antonio Schadach Brum

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Guest Editor
Mineral Processing Laboratory, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 9500 Bento Gonçalves Avenue, Porto Alegre 91501-970, Brazil
Interests: waste recycling; emerging pollutants; mineral processing; froth flotation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Carlos Hoffmann Sampaio

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Guest Editor
Departament d’Enginyeria Minera, Industrial i TIC (EMIT), Escola Politècnica Superior d'Enginyeria de Manresa (EPSEM), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Av. Bases de Manresa 61–63, 08242 Manresa, Spain
Interests: mineral processing; gravity concentration; ore treatment; waste recycling; construction and demolition waste; jigging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coal is one of the most important raw materials and energy source in the modern world. Even with all the problems related to sustainable development, it does not seem possible that humanity can give up this mineral resource in the next 100 years.

The exploration, processing, and use of coal within a context of sustainable industry remains one of the great challenges in this mineral area. Despite the importance and relative ease of coal exploration, these resources have historically been underestimated as a new source of energy in the transformation industry. Currently, there is a clear need to seek alternatives for strategic planning and research for the use of this mineral resource in a sustainable way, with respect to environmental control and preservation laws. The importance of coal to the world becomes clear when analyzing the composition of the global energy matrix and realizing that coal is in a position below oil. In electricity generation, it is the world's main resource.

With this scenario, the challenge that presents itself at the moment is to structure actions for the research, sustainability, and expansion of the coal production chain. This objective should be defined based on modern technologies, which aim to guarantee the production of a cleaner material, implementing an interdisciplinary project, based on thematic lines such as production, conversion, applications, as well as the environment in mineral coal systems.

This Special Issue is organized into three sections:

Section 1—Production: Research and case studies in specific coal exploration and processing systems.

Section 2—Utilization and conversion: Research and case studies for the use and/or conversion of coal for metallurgical and carbochemical industries.

Section 3—Environmental control: Research and case studies for environmental control systems, recovery of degraded areas and development of cleaner technologies for the coal industry.

Dr. Irineu Antonio Schadach Brum
Prof. Dr. Carlos Hoffmann Sampaio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • coal
  • mineral processing
  • production
  • coal utilization
  • coal conversion
  • environmental control

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4015 KiB  
Article
Rapid Estimation of Sulfur Content in High-Ash Indian Coal Using Mid-Infrared FTIR Data
by Anubhav Shukla, Anup K. Prasad, Sameeksha Mishra, Arya Vinod and Atul K. Varma
Minerals 2023, 13(5), 634; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13050634 - 30 Apr 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3555
Abstract
High-ash Indian coals are primarily used as thermal coal in power plants and industries. Due to the presence of sulfur in thermal coal, flue gas is a major environmental concern. Conventional methods (Ultimate Analysis of Coal) for sulfur content estimation are time-consuming, relatively [...] Read more.
High-ash Indian coals are primarily used as thermal coal in power plants and industries. Due to the presence of sulfur in thermal coal, flue gas is a major environmental concern. Conventional methods (Ultimate Analysis of Coal) for sulfur content estimation are time-consuming, relatively costly, and destructive. In this study, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has emerged as a promising alternative method for the rapid and nondestructive analysis of the sulfur content in coal. In the present study, the actual sulfur content in the coal samples was determined using Ultimate Analysis (CHNS analyzer). In contrast, mid-infrared FTIR spectroscopic data (4000–400 cm−1) were used to analyze the functional groups related to sulfur or its compounds in the coal samples to predict the sulfur content. A comparison of sulfur estimated using a CHNS analyzer and predicted using mid-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) data shows that it can accurately predict sulfur content in high-ash Indian coals using the piecewise linear regression method (Quasi-Newton, QN). The proposed FTIR-based sulfur prediction model showed a coefficient of determination (R2) of up to 0.93, where the total no. of samples (Coal + KBr pellets, n) was 126 (using 17:1 split, K-fold cross validation). The root-mean-square error (RMSE, wt.%) is 0.0035, mean bias error (MBE, wt.%) is −0.0003, MBE (%) is 3.31% and mean absolute error (MAE, wt.%) is 0.0020. The two-tailed t-test and F-test for mean and variance indicated no significant difference between the pair of values of observed sulfur (SCHNS, wt.%) using CHNS data and the model predicted sulfur (SFTIR, wt.%) using FTIR data. The prediction model using mid-infrared FTIR spectroscopy data and the Quasi-Newton method with a breakpoint and loss function performs well for coal samples from the Johilla Coalfield, Umaria. Thus, it can be a valuable tool for analyzing sulfur in other ash-rich coals from various basins worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization, Processing and Utilization of Coal)
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16 pages, 2617 KiB  
Article
Coal-Based Activated Carbon via Microwave-Assisted ZnCl2 Activation for Methyl Violet 2B Dye Removal: Optimization, Desirability Function, and Adsorption Mechanism
by Salis A. Musa, Ahmed Saud Abdulhameed, Siti Nor Atika Baharin, Zeid A. ALOthman, Lee D. Wilson and Ali H. Jawad
Minerals 2023, 13(3), 438; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13030438 - 19 Mar 2023
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2283
Abstract
In this work, activated carbon (referred to as MCAC) was produced by microwave radiation assisted ZnCl2 activation using Malaysian coal (MC) as a precursor. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller findings indicate that the MCAC has a relatively large surface area (798.18 m2/g) and [...] Read more.
In this work, activated carbon (referred to as MCAC) was produced by microwave radiation assisted ZnCl2 activation using Malaysian coal (MC) as a precursor. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller findings indicate that the MCAC has a relatively large surface area (798.18 m2/g) and a mesoporous structure (average pore diameter of 3.67 nm). The removal of Methylene Violet (MV 2B) a cationic dye model, was employed to investigate the adsorption properties of MCAC. A numerical desirability function in the Box–Behnken design (BBD) was employed to optimize the independent crucial adsorption variables as follows: A: MCAC dose (0.02–0.1 g); B: pH (4–10); and C: time (5–25 min). The results of equilibrium and dynamic adsorption showed that the adsorption of MV 2B followed Freundlich and pseudo-second order models, respectively. The maximum amount of MV 2B dye that the MCAC could adsorb (qmax) was 134.1 mg/g. Electrostatic interactions, π-π stacking, H-bonding, and pore diffusion contribute to the adsorption of MV 2B dye onto the MCAC surface. This study demonstrates the potential to utilize MC as a low-cost precursor for the efficient synthesis of MAC and its utility for the removal of pollutants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization, Processing and Utilization of Coal)
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18 pages, 4513 KiB  
Article
Coal Gangue Recognition during Coal Preparation Using an Adaptive Boosting Algorithm
by Guanghui Xue, Peng Hou, Sanxi Li, Xiaoling Qian, Sicong Han and Song Gao
Minerals 2023, 13(3), 329; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13030329 - 26 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1778
Abstract
The recognition of coal and gangue is the premise and foundation of coal gangue intelligent sorting. Adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) algorithm-based coal gangue identification has not been studied in depth. This paper proposed a coal gangue image recognition algorithm and a strong classifier based [...] Read more.
The recognition of coal and gangue is the premise and foundation of coal gangue intelligent sorting. Adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) algorithm-based coal gangue identification has not been studied in depth. This paper proposed a coal gangue image recognition algorithm and a strong classifier based on the AdaBoost algorithm with a genetic algorithm (GA)-optimized support vector machine (SVM). One thousand coal gangue images were collected on-site and expanded to five thousand via rotation and exposure adjustment. The 12 gray-level gradient co-occurrence matrix texture features of the images were extracted to construct a feature vector, establishing the training dataset and test dataset. Selection of the SVM kernel function, the GA optimization parameter setting, and the base classifier number was discussed. The coal gangue image recognition effects of the AdaB-GA-SVM classifier and the other strong classifiers with different base SVM classifiers were investigated. The results indicated that the recognition accuracy of GA-SVM was the best when the kernel function of SVM was RBF and the population number, crossover probability, and mutation probability were 80, 0.9, and 0.005, respectively. The AdaB-GA-SVM classifier has excellent identification and effective classification performance with the highest accuracy of 95%, a precision rate of 92.8%, recall rate of 97.3%, and KS values of 0.79. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization, Processing and Utilization of Coal)
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13 pages, 3451 KiB  
Article
Influence of Igneous Intrusions on Coal Flotation Feasibility: The Case of Moatize Mine, Mozambique
by Pedro Maraschin Zancan, Irineu Antônio Schadach De Brum, Weslei Monteiro Ambrós, Carlos Hoffmann Sampaio and Josep Oliva Moncunill
Minerals 2023, 13(2), 161; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13020161 - 21 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1651
Abstract
In this study, the influence on the properties of coal caused by proximity with an igneous intrusion in the Moatize mine was evaluated, together with the possibility of beneficiating such coal in the flotation circuit of the plant. For this purpose, extensive characterizations [...] Read more.
In this study, the influence on the properties of coal caused by proximity with an igneous intrusion in the Moatize mine was evaluated, together with the possibility of beneficiating such coal in the flotation circuit of the plant. For this purpose, extensive characterizations of samples collected at different distances from the intrusion were carried out, followed by a lab-scale replication and analysis of the flotation conditions used in the Moatize plant. The results showed that coal was negatively affected by the closeness to the dyke, with it being unfeasible to beneficiate coal at a distance of 2 m from the geological contact. However, for a 20 m distance, it proved possible to achieve yields higher than 77% with ash contents below 10%, depending on the reagent system used. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization, Processing and Utilization of Coal)
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21 pages, 7312 KiB  
Article
Study on Characteristics of Coal Spontaneous Combustion in Kerjian Mining Area, Xinjiang, China
by Lili Ding and Qiang Zeng
Minerals 2022, 12(12), 1508; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12121508 - 25 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1729
Abstract
The spontaneous combustion of coal is a disaster associated with coal mining. In this study, the authors investigated the characteristics of spontaneous combustion of coal at different temperatures (room temperature, 50–500 °C with 50 °C interval) using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-resolution [...] Read more.
The spontaneous combustion of coal is a disaster associated with coal mining. In this study, the authors investigated the characteristics of spontaneous combustion of coal at different temperatures (room temperature, 50–500 °C with 50 °C interval) using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), etc. The results showed the aromatic structure was mainly naphthalene. The aliphatic hydrocarbons were long chain. Oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur existed as C-O, pyridine, pyrrole nitrogen, aliphatic sulphur, and sulfone. The molecular structural formula is C142H112N2O22. The stable 3D structural was obtained through optimization. Thermogravimetric analysis results showed the critical and dry-cracking temperatures of coal samples showed downward trends overall, whereas the acceleration and thermal-decomposition temperatures varied greatly with increase in oxidation temperature. The activation energy change pattern of 4 stages is not obvious. The FTIR results showed the contents of self-associated OH changed greatly. The aliphatic hydrocarbons changed greatly at 30–150 °C and 300–500 °C. The C-O showed increasing trends, whereas the C=O decreased consistently. The HRTEM results showed the aromatic fringes in coal samples were dominated by 1 × 1 and 2 × 2, the contents of which accounted for more than 80% of the total fringes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization, Processing and Utilization of Coal)
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11 pages, 2949 KiB  
Article
The Role of Heterogeneity on Deformation and Flow in Fractured Coal Slopes
by Roger Hu and Stuart D. C. Walsh
Minerals 2022, 12(10), 1297; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12101297 - 14 Oct 2022
Viewed by 1189
Abstract
The fractures in brown coal influence fluid flow and deformation in these materials. These fractures display highly heterogeneous characteristics in the distributions of their apertures, separations and orientations. While discrete fracture models have previously been used to analyse the effects of fractures, such [...] Read more.
The fractures in brown coal influence fluid flow and deformation in these materials. These fractures display highly heterogeneous characteristics in the distributions of their apertures, separations and orientations. While discrete fracture models have previously been used to analyse the effects of fractures, such models are not feasible for the scales encountered in many brown-coal mines. Instead, here a continuum permeability model is used to capture the effects of the fracture heterogeneity on fractured coal. This paper presents an analysis of the fracture heterogeneity of brown coal at the AGL Loy Yang coal mine in Latrobe Valley and its influence on the fluid flow, dispersion and rock stability. A stress dependent fracture permeability is considered and captures the effects of heterogeneity in the fracture aperture and orientation. Numerical simulations conducted with multiple plasticity models present different flow paths and potential failure modes depending on the the implemented boundary conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization, Processing and Utilization of Coal)
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