Sulfur Removal from Indian Coals by using Green Solvents

Abstract

Ionic liquids (IL), now a days have been used in different chemical reactions as green solvents. Here in this investigation, attempts have been made to obtain cleaner fuels from ligno-bituminous Indian coals. A high sulphur coal sample from North-Eastern region (NER), India with high sulphur (2-8%) and low ash contents have been tried for desulfurization with per acids and Ionic Liquids (IL). It has been observed that the percentage of oxidative desulfurization with IL increases about by 10% in comparison to the single oxidative process with per acids alone. The reaction mechanism involved during this process studied has also been discussed. The physico-chemical properties and FTIR spectral analysis of the coal sample before and after treatment have also been reported. FTIR bands for S=O in the range of 1050-1020 cm^-1 confirms that the coal sample have been oxidized in ILs. The oxidized sulfur functionalities can easily be removed by extraction.