Process for treating coal with a magnetic gradient to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions
OwnerWilliam Faroneinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for treating high sulfur coal to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions when the coal is burned, which includes placing the coal in an aqueous basic soluble media saturated with a calcium salt which is pressurized with carbon dioxide. The pressure is then released to fracture the coal, and the aqueous fluids are substantially removed from the fractured coal by drying. A magnetic field is applied to the fractured coal to orient the calcium ions and to distribute the ions more uniformly on the fractured coal. The distributed calcium produces calcium sulfate when the coal is burned.
Claims37
A process for treating coal to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions when the coal is burned, which comprises:
- a. placing the coal in an aqueous basic soluble media saturated with a calcium salt and then pressurizing the coal with carbon dioxide and then releasing the pressure to fracture the coal causing the calcium salt to penetrate the coal;
- b. removing some or substantially all of the aqueous fluids from the fractured coal by drying;
- c. applying a magnetic field to the fractured coal to orient the calcium ions and to distribute the ions more uniformly on the fractured coal;
- and
- d. wherein the distributed calcium produces calcium sulfate when the coal is burned.
A process for producing energy from burning high sulfur coal while reducing the sulfur dioxide content of the emission from such burning, which process comprises depositing calcium salts within fractures in fractured coal and burning the resulting calcium salts-containing high sulfur coal at a high temperature.
A process for increasing the amount of calcium sulfate produced as a result of burning high sulfur coal, while at the same time reducing the sulfur dioxide emissions from such burning, which process comprises burning a vacuum fractured high sulfur coal having calcium salts deposited within fractures in the coal and recovering the calcium sulfate produced as a result of such burning.
An apparatus for treating high sulfur coal with an aqueous composition under pressure, which apparatus comprises:
- a. a pressurizable container suitable for holding the coal to be treated;
- b. a first inlet to allow the aqueous composition to enter the pressurizable container and to make contact with the coal;
- c. a mechanism to remove the aqueous composition from the pressurizable container;
- d. a second inlet to allow carbon dioxide to enter the pressurizable container under a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure;
- e. a source of pressurized carbon dioxide connected to the second inlet;
- f. an outlet to remove the coal from the pressurizable container after the carbon dioxide pressure is released;
- and
- g. a magnetic gradient which the fractured coal is passed through.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.