Coal is a fuel for energy and a raw material for the chemical industry. The use of coal
Vladimir Khomutko
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What products are obtained from coal and oil?
Oil and coal are minerals and are actively used by mankind as energy sources.
But if coal can be used in pure form, then oil is not. It must first be processed in order to obtain products suitable for practical application. However, from coal, you can get related elements that have practical value.
Oil is a combustible oily liquid, which is a complex mixture of various hydrocarbon compounds.
Its composition contains dissolved associated gases, which, when raw materials rise to the surface, begin to be actively released. These include the well-known methane and hydrogen sulfide.
The list of processed products of this mineral is very extensive, so listing them all would take a long time. Let's try to approach this issue from the point of view of the aggregate state of the products.
Petroleum gases
These substances released from the hydrocarbon mixture raised to the surface are called associated.
They are isolated both in the process of primary processing of raw materials in the fields (separation) and in oil refineries (refineries). These products include ethane, propane and butane, from which products such as ethylene and propylene are obtained by dehydrogenation. Propano-butane is the same liquefied gas, which is still used for domestic needs.
Liquid petroleum products
There is a much longer list here. From the hydrocarbon raw materials extracted at the fields, the following is produced:
- motor fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, jet fuel); their share in the processed raw materials is from 50 to 80 percent;
- boiler and marine fuel (fuel oil);
- kerosene (including lighting);
- various types of oils (lubricating, transmission and so on);
- gas oil (raw material for the production of benzene and toluene) and so on and so forth.
Oil refining is driven by high temperatures, which due to different points boiling oil components allow you to decompose the raw material into individual components.
The remainder of this process is tar, from which bitumen is subsequently made, which is actively used in the production of road and roofing works.
This mineral is in a solid state of aggregation. Its processing is carried out by coking in specialized furnaces, which exclude the ingress of oxygen into them. As a result of the series chemical reactions, coke is made from coal, which is in great demand at the enterprises of the metallurgical industry, and coke oven gas, which decomposes into tar and ammonia water during the condensation process.
With the use of dry distillation, tar is formed from coal, which is widely used in the construction industry and in the manufacture of various building materials as a binder.
Ammonia water gives ammonia, which is part of a large number chemical fertilizers so needed by the agricultural industry.
The use of coal in industry
Synthetic hydrocarbons are also obtained from coal (however, as well as from liquid hydrocarbons), which are actively used in the fuel balance. Since they cause much less harm to our environment, their use will expand in the future.
Of course, you know that coal is used as a fuel, both in everyday life and in industry. Coal was the first fossil material that people began to use as fuel. It was coal that led to the industrial revolution. In the 19th century, a lot of coal was used for transportation. In 1960, coal provided about half of the world's energy production. However, by 1970, its share had fallen to one third: coal as a fuel was replaced by other energy sources, in particular oil and gas.
However, the use of coal is not limited to this. Coal is a valuable raw material for the chemical and metallurgical industries.
AT coal industry coal coking is used. Coke plants consume up to 1/4 of the coal produced. Coking is a process of coal processing by heating up to 950-1050°С without oxygen access. During the decomposition of coal, a solid product is formed - coke and volatile products - coke oven gas.
Coke makes up 75-78% by weight of coal. It is used in the metallurgical industry for iron smelting and also as a fuel.
Coke oven gas makes up 25% of the mass of processed coal. Volatile products that are formed during coal coking are condensed with water vapor, as a result of which coal tar and tar water are released.
Coal tar is 3-4% by weight of coal and is a complex mixture organic matter. Currently, scientists have identified only 60% of the components of the resin, and this is more than 500 substances! Naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, phenols and coal oils are obtained from the resin.
From tar water (it is 9-12% by weight of coal), ammonia, phenols, pyridine bases are isolated by distillation with steam. From unsaturated compounds contained in raw benzene, coumarone resins are obtained, which are used for the production of varnishes, paints, linoleum and in the rubber industry.
Artificial graphite is obtained from coal.
Coal is also used as an inorganic raw material. From coal during processing in industrial scale extract such rare metals as vanadium, germanium, gallium, molybdenum, zinc, lead, and sulfur.
Ash from coal combustion, mining and processing wastes are used in the production of building materials, ceramics, refractory raw materials, alumina, and abrasives.
In total, more than 400 different products can be obtained by processing hard coal, the cost of which is 20-25 times higher than the cost of the coal itself, and the by-products obtained at coking plants exceed the cost of the coke itself.
By the way...
Coal is far from the best fuel. It has a big drawback: its combustion produces a lot of emissions, both gaseous and solid (ash), polluting the environment. In most developed countries, there are stringent requirements for the level of emissions allowed by burning coal. Emission reductions are achieved through the use of various filters.
- combustible gas
- medium temperature coke
- phenol
- salicylic alcohol
- lead
- germanium
- vanadium
- naphthalene
- hydrocarbon
- graphite
- ammonia
- benzene
- toluene
- picric acid
- plastic
- hydrocarbon gases
- fuel oil
- diesel fuel
- petrol
- kerosene
- naphtha
- rubber
- tar
- oils
- bitumen
- acetone
- gas condensate
- plastic
- polyethylene
- aspirin
- lipstick
- clothes
- chewing gum
- nylon
Oil is used to make gasoline, kerosene, industrial oils, diesel fuel, industrial alcohol, kerosene, plastic, rubber, petroleum jelly, medicines, including the well-known vitamin C (this is an absolute truth)
I really liked the visual rhyme from one presentation on this topic. See pictures and read:
But what is made of coal:
Even my favorite acrylic paints turns out to be produced from this mineral.
What is obtained from both oil and coal you can see in the pictures.
But the very first thing that comes to mind is that coal is used for heating, and oil is used for gasoline and other fuels, gas.
But in fact, the list of applications is quite wide.
For example, oil refining products are also used to manufacture medicines, perfumes, and plastics.
Made from coal and oil great amount useful products.
One of the main uses of coal and oil is as a fuel.
The following products are also obtained during the processing of COAL:
1) sulfur, zinc (used in cosmetology, medicine);
2) sorbents (used in medicine);
3) raw materials for various building materials (for example, ceramics).
When processing OIL, in addition to fuel, the following products are obtained:
1) asphalt, bitumen;
2) solvents, lubricating and combustible oils
3) liquefied petroleum gas, which is the raw material for oil chemical industry. A huge number of products known to everyone in everyday life are made from this gas: polyethylene (bags), polyvinyl chloride (PVC windows), synthetic rubber (tires), polypropylene (building materials), PET ( plastic bottles) and many others.
Coal is primarily a source of heat, furnaces are heated with coal, and even at power plants with the help of coal they produce electricity. Also from stone receive coal paints, drugs, rubber, plastics.
Obtained from oil:
- petrol,
- diesel fuel (solar oil),
- paints,
- kerosene,
- fuel oil,
- plastic bags,
- tires,
- wheel cameras,
- medicines,
- perfume.
Oil is without a doubt a very, very amazing and necessary substance in the whole world. Oil has always been considered and is considered natural wealth. After all, almost everything is obtained from oil, oil has widest use. In short, they do not get a lot of necessary things and products for a person, from fuel to medicines and food. Any fuel for cars, plastic, polyethylene, petroleum jelly, aspirin, lipstick, clothes that almost do not wrinkle, paraffin products (pencils, candles, paints), margarine and can be listed and listed and it will not be all. Gradually, new products are made from oil, for example, artificial meat, milk, cheese, etc. already exist.
Coal is also processed into the right materials, substances and products. Coal is also a very useful mineral; many different medicines, paints, plastic products, lubricant, lots of building materials and substances, and most of all coal is known to be an excellent fuel that gives warmth when burned.
Most people know oil and coal as sources of energy. People are used to the fact that oil is used to make fuel, and boiler houses heat buildings with coal. Oil and coal have more wide application on practice. Graphite is obtained from coal, coal coke is obtained, which is further used in the smelting of iron, coal tar, tar water are obtained. Naphthalene, coal oils, etc. are obtained from coal tars. Top-tar water is processed, solutions are obtained, which are used for the production of varnishes and paints. Petroleum is used to produce several types of fuels, oils, synthetic rubbers and rubbers, solvents, paints and even cosmetics based on oil and refined products.
Coal (precisely fossil coal) - its exhaust products are obtained:
The main oil products are:
And also from the above products of oil refining produce:
The coal industry is an important link in the fuel and energy complex (FEC). According to Yu. Malyshev, Director General of JSC Rosugol, who delivered a report on the socio-economic situation of the coal industry, Russia's share in the world's proven coal reserves is 12%, and the predicted reserves are estimated at 30%. It accounts for 14% of world coal production.
The main directions of the industrial use of coal: the production of electricity, metallurgical coke, combustion for energy purposes, obtaining various (up to 300 items) products during chemical processing. The consumption of coal is increasing for the production of high-carbon carbon-graphite structural materials, mountain wax, plastics, synthetic liquid and gaseous high-calorie fuels, aromatic products, highly nitrous acids for fertilizers. Coke, obtained from coal, is necessary in large quantities metallurgical industry. During the processing of coal, vanadium, germanium, sulfur, gallium, molybdenum, zinc, and lead are extracted from it on an industrial scale. Ash from coal combustion, mining and processing wastes are used in the production of building materials, ceramics, refractory raw materials, alumina, and abrasives. For the purpose of optimal use of coal, it is enriched (removal of mineral impurities).
Getting coke carried out at coke plants. Coal is subjected to dry distillation (coking) by heating in special coke ovens without air access to a temperature of 1000 °C. This produces coke - a solid porous substance. In addition to coke, during the dry distillation of coal, volatile products are also formed, when they are cooled to 25-75 ° C, coal tar, ammonia water and gaseous products are formed. Coal tar undergoes fractional distillation, resulting in several fractions:
Light oil (boiling point up to 170 ° C); it contains aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, acids) and other substances;
Medium oil (boiling point 170-230 o C). These are phenols, naphthalene;
Anthracene oil - anthracene, fenathrene;
Heavy oil (boiling point 230-270 o C). These are naphthalene and its homologues, etc.
The composition of gaseous products (coke oven gas) includes benzene, toluene, xylenes, phenol, ammonia and other substances. Crude benzene is extracted from coke oven gas after purification from ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and cyanide compounds, from which individual hydrocarbons and a number of other valuable substances are isolated.
Hydrocarbons are recovered from coke oven gas by washing in scrubbers with liquid absorption oils. After distillation from oil, distillation from a fraction, purification and re-rectification, pure commercial products are obtained: benzene, toluene, xylenes, etc. From unsaturated compounds contained in crude benzene, coumarone resins are obtained, which are used for the production of varnishes, paints, linoleum and in rubber industry.
A characteristic feature of emissions from coke production is a wide variety of harmful substances contained in them (dust, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide (II), hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, phenols, benzene hydrocarbons, etc.). Although the number of individual components is small, they have significant toxicity.
The main sources of air pollution with dust include: the coal preparation shop, the coke sorting department, coke ovens during the loading of the charge and the issuance of coke. Atmospheric pollution by the latter is periodic and short-term (three operations for the issuance of coke lasting 2-3 minutes in 1 hour). When extinguishing coke in towers, together with water vapor, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur oxide, phenols, and resinous substances enter the atmosphere. To prevent these substances from entering the atmosphere, dry quenching units are installed on new coke oven batteries. In addition, in the shops of coal preparation and coke sorting departments, equipment is equipped with suction systems. From all aspiration systems of the plant, dust emission is about 0.9 kg per ton of coke. Approximately 0.4 kg of dust per ton of coke is released when coal is reloaded and loaded into furnaces.
Among the environmental pollutants formed in the by-product coke industry, there may be polycyclic hydrocarbons (including benzo-(a)-pyrene), which are carcinogenic substances. They can pollute the air, water and soil.
At the same time, coking plants produce a large amount of Wastewater. They contain production wastes and make up about 38% of the mass of the coked charge. About 30% of them are above-tar waters containing up to 3 g/l of volatile and non-volatile phenols, which significantly exceeds the maximum allowable concentrations of phenols in water that is sent for biochemical treatment. Therefore, such wastewater is deresined on quartz filters, after which it is fed to an ammonia column to remove ammonia, and then to a dephenolization scrubber. Only after that they are cooled and mixed in an equalizer with other waters. A more efficient extraction of phenols is achieved as a result of the use of steam circulation and liquid methods extraction, reducing the concentration of phenols in wastewater to 10 -4%. This eliminates the toxicity of wastewater, due to the presence of phenols in them.
Significant volumes of waste are generated at coking plants (acid tar, fuses, flotation waste, processed acids, etc.). About half of them are not disposed of, but are taken to industrial landfills. Industrial wastes from coke plants contain large amounts of phenols (up to 880 mg/kg), cyanides (more than 120 mg/kg), thiocyanates (more than 10 mg/kg), etc. To prevent pollution environment and to preserve the health of the population, it is necessary to establish an accurate accounting of waste at coke plants, to ensure their maximum utilization. For non-recyclable waste, it is also necessary to ensure the collection of pitch and slag in metal containers with tight-fitting lids and store them in special landfills with waterproofing. Waste removal from the territory of the enterprise should be carried out by special transport according to the schedule.
Methods for obtaining synthetic fuels from coal. Highly promising direction coal processing is the production of synthetic fuels from it. Synthetic fuels derived from coal can be solid, liquid or gaseous. Solid synthetic fuels include a large number of refined or improved fuels such as "pure coal", coal briquettes, semi-coke, thermal coal, autoclaved coal. Synthetic liquid fuels are represented by boiler fuel (substitute for petroleum fuel oil), motor fuels and methanol. Gaseous fuels derived from coal are fuel gas, "natural gas substitute" and synthesis gas.
The production of synthetic fuels from coal is carried out by various methods. solid fuel with increased environmental cleanliness is obtained by removing from the original coal harmful impurities such as sulfur and mineral impurities.
The advantages of "clean coal" are the reduction of SO 2 and particulate emissions during combustion, as well as an increase in calorific value compared to the original coal. When receiving fuel for domestic purposes, briquetting of coal fines is used. As a result, particulate matter emissions from combustion are reduced and may increase calorific value fuel. In some cases, special chemical additives are introduced into the briquettes, which reduce the yield of tar, soot, sulfur and other harmful products during combustion.
Improving the quality of brown coals, which have a low calorific value due to the large amount of moisture and oxygen, is achieved by upgrading them during pyrolysis or processing with superheated steam.
Thermal upgrading of brown coal increases its calorific value, in addition, SO 2 and NO X emissions (for semi-coke and thermal coal) are reduced, and particulate emissions can be reduced when autoclaved lump coal is burned.
The process of coal gasification is multipurpose in relation to the composition of the produced gas. When obtaining gaseous fuels, there are three main areas associated with the production of fuel gas, a substitute for natural gas and synthesis gas.
The use of fuel gas allows solving environmental and technological problems in power engineering, metallurgy and other industries. A feature of the resulting natural gas substitute is a low CO content and, consequently, relatively low toxicity, which allows this gas to be widely used for domestic purposes. Synthesis gas is used for chemical processing into methanol, motor fuels or for hydrogen production. To obtain liquid fuels directly from coal, the processes of hydrogenation, pyrolysis, and liquefaction with solvents are used.
Upon receipt of boiler fuel (substitute for petroleum fuel oil) and motor fuels, it is required additional application processes for hydroprocessing liquid coal products in order to reduce the content of sulfur and other undesirable impurities. The most easily processed "coal oil", obtained in the process of catalytic hydrogenation of coal.
An alternative direction for the production of synthetic liquid fuels is the combination of processes for obtaining synthesis gas from coal and its chemical processing.
Liquid fuels from synthesis gas are much more environmentally friendly than fuels obtained by direct liquefaction of coal. The latter contain a high amount of carcinogenic polycyclic compounds.
Processing of waste coal . Analysis chemical composition technological wastes of 80 coal preparation plants of the main coal basins of the USSR showed a fairly stable content of Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 in them, which allows them to be used as raw materials for production ceramic products. In the initial state, these wastes do not soak in water, but after crushing and grinding, their clay component is released and the waste acquires the ability to form a plastic mass with water, from which a raw brick can be formed, which is superior in some properties to similar ones from ordinary clay. The production of clay (red) bricks consists in firing a molded clay mass, to which sawdust, some organic waste, and sifted coal as a fuel (burnable) component are added. To reduce shrinkage during drying and firing, as well as to prevent deformation and cracks of manufactured ceramic products, natural ( quartz sands) or artificial (dehydrated clay, chamotte) lean materials. Firing of products from such waste is usually carried out under conditions that ensure the completion of the process of carbon burnout by the time the intensive sintering of the crock begins.
Coal contained in coal preparation waste can be used as a fuel during their thermal processing (mixed with clay rocks) into bricks, ceramics and other building materials. In this way, for example, agloporite- an artificial lightweight porous aggregate for concrete, the production of which has been established in a number of foreign countries and is being developed in Russia.
The production technology of agloporite can be different. At a number of plants it consists in heat treatment by the method of agglomeration of granular charge from clayey rocks or waste from mining, enrichment and combustion of coal, followed by crushing the “cake” resulting from sintering and separating the required aggregate fractions during screening. Similarly, oil shale enrichment waste can be processed.
Sulfur dioxide production. Enrichment carried out in order to reduce the sulfur content in coal is accompanied by the formation of carbonaceous pyrites containing 42-46% sulfur and 5-8% carbon.
Pyrite is a potential raw material for the production of sulfuric acid, however, its direct processing into SO 2 by roasting leads to the production of low-concentration gases (as a result of their dilution with the resulting CO 2) and is associated with technical difficulties due to the need to remove excess heat from exothermic reactions. High-temperature processing of carbonaceous pyrites together with gypsum (40-45%) in mechanical furnaces does not provide decomposition of the latter by more than 20%, and leads to the formation of high-sulfur (10-15%) cinder.
In industrial practice, a method for the production of SO 2 has been used, by thermal processing of carbonaceous pyrites together with iron sulfates, which are waste products of metal pickling processes in the ferrous metallurgy and hardware industry, to obtain pigment TiO 2 . The output of iron sulfates in these industries is approximately 500 thousand tons / year in the form of FeSO 4 ∙ 7H 2 O. Roasting gases, the maximum concentration of SO 2 in which does not exceed 18.3%, are sent to the washing department of the sulfuric acid production.
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Coal began to emerge on our planet about 360 million years ago. Scientists called this era the Carboniferous or Carboniferous period. Then the first terrestrial reptiles appeared, the first large plants. Their bodies and trunks decomposed after the death of animals and plants, and an incredible percentage of oxygen only contributed to the acceleration of this process. It is now that we are content with a negligible 20% of oxygen, but then the animals breathed deeply - the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere of Carbon reached 50%! This is a huge figure, and it is to it that we owe today's wealth of coal deposits on our planet.
But coal is not everything. After processing, so many different useful substances and products are extracted from it, which cannot be imagined! According to the most conservative estimates, the number of types of coal processing products reaches 600!
Obtaining coal processing products
Products receive different ways. Depending on what you want final product. For example, to obtain pure products (these include primary products of coal processing) - coke, ammonia, toluene, benzene - liquid flushing oils are used. Special devices provide sealing products and protect them from premature decay. Primary processing also includes the coking method - coal is heated to a temperature of +1000 ° C! Access to oxygen is also completely blocked.
After all these procedures, any primary product undergoes additional purification. Coal processing products also include:
- naphthalene;
- phenol;
- hydrocarbon;
- salicylic alcohol;
- lead;
- vanadium;
- germanium;
- sulfur;
- zinc.
As you can see, the products are extremely diverse. Without them, our life would not be so easy.
Scope of application of coal processing products
Take, for example, cosmetology (perhaps the most useful area for people to use coal processing products). For the treatment of oily skin and acne, creams, serums, masks, lotions and tonics with the addition of sulfur, acid and zinc are used. Sulfur eliminates existing inflammation, zinc prevents the possible appearance of new inflammations, salicylic acid is used in lotions, foams and gels for washing. Coal processing products have already saved more than one million teenagers and young people from peer ridicule.
Lead and zinc compounds are used to treat burns and injuries, zinc and clay products of coal are ideal for psoriasis (though only in the early stages, while the disease has an obvious skin form and has not yet passed to the bones).
Excellent sorbents are obtained from coal, which are used in medicine for the treatment of diseases of the intestines and stomach, including such serious ones as dysbacteriosis. Sorbents, in which zinc is added, are used to treat dandruff and oily seborrhea, and very successfully. Unrefined picric substances (explosives) are good for wound healing.
But that's not all. There is a procedure called hydrogenation - with its help, liquid fuel is produced from coal. And the combustion products formed during this process are an ideal raw material for various building materials, moreover, refractory ones. In particular, ceramics are produced in this way.
In heavy industry, coal has also found excellent use - it is indispensable for smelting various metals and iron ore. The only thing that is a little strange is that the cost of almost all coal processed products significantly exceeds the cost. Of course, you need money for all materials, equipment, premises, payment for the work of craftsmen involved in processing - these are natural costs for the production of products. But the cost of some components exceeds the cost of coal hundreds of times, and this already raises some suspicions.
