Deashing of coal by the oil agglomeration process

A process for producing abrasion-resistant coal agglomerates of reduced non-carbonaceous content from non-carbonaceous-material-containing coal which comprises crushing mined coal and fine grinding the coal to a top particle size of about 150 microns, while contacting the coal with an emulsion of a hydrocarbon liquid agglomerating agent and water so as to preferentially wet the coal particles with the hydrocarbon liquid, while the non-carbonaceous material, being hydrophylic, is dispersed in the water, and forming agglomerates of carbonaceous material in said coal in said grinding zone and in the presence of raw coal being ground, said agglomerates having an average pore space between coal particles such as to allow the oil content of the agglomerates to measure less than about 30 weight percent, separating said carbonaceous agglomerates from said non-carbonaceous material present in said coal along with the water in which it is dispersed, subsequently suspending said carbonaceous agglomerates as a fluidized bed in a stream of dry steam in the absence of oxidizing gases at a temperature in the range of about 100.degree. C. to about 245.degree. C. to separate at least a portion of the agglomerating agent from said carbonaceous material to produce the deashed coal agglomerate product;

• and withdrawing the steam/hydrocarbon mix from said fluidized bed, condensing said mix and recovering the recycling the agglomerating agent.