Glycerol effect on the inhibition of spontaneous combustion of subbituminous coal

Abstract

Factors favoring the phenomenon of spontaneous combustion in coal mainly depend on the intrinsic properties such as coal particle size, moisture content, among others; the medium in which it is located and how it is stored. Consistent with this, the objective of this work is to evaluate the effect of glycerol on the inhibition of self-combustion as water re-adsorption reducer through the addition of glycerol in different amounts (4, 8, 18 and 28% wt). The coal sample was extracted from the Córdoba department, Colombia. Incipient impregnation method was used to perform the addition of glycerol to the desired quantities. Characterizing the coal samples was performed by: TGA-DTG, nitrogen adsorption at -196 °C, C-H-N-O, FTIR, and SEM. The TGA of the coals evaluated in an air atmosphere, show changes in combustion properties of each sample. Di ignition index is reduced as the coal is impregnated with glycerol, obtaining its lowest value for 8wt% of glycerol. The effect of glycerol in inhibiting the spontaneous combustion of coal is exposed in the adsorption equilibrium; the sample with 8wt% glycerol shows the highest reduction of water adsorption in coal validating the proposed technology as inhibitor agent spontaneous combustion phenomenon found in Colombian coal.