Experimental study of sorbent production in gas–steam activation of Kharanor lignite

The article describes the structure diagram of a laboratory-scale plant for thermal oxidative treatment of carbon-bearing materials in steam with thermal shock in the process of sorbent production. The procedure of sorbent production in two stages (carbonization and gas–steam activation) is described, and the optimal parameters are determined for porous structure formation in lignite samples from the Kharanor deposit: the temperature of the carbonization and activation stages was 600 and 800 °С within isothermal cure for 30 and 60 min, respectively. The water flow rate for steam generation made 250–300 ml/h. Under the optimal operating conditions of gas–steam activation, on the laboratory plant, specimens of sorbents were produced at the yield of round 40%. These specimens can be assumed as active carbon by the criterion of the iodine adsorption number (Х ≥ 50%. The quality factors of sorbents produced by gas–steam and alkaline activation of Kharanor lignite were compared. It is shown that activation by potassium hydroxide allows production of sorbents with twice as high iodine adsorption number as against gas–steam activation of the same feedstock. On the other hand, gas–steam activation needs no chemical agents. The market demand for sorbents with iodine adsorption number round 50% predetermines the scientific and commercial interest in this technology of sorbent production from lignite.

Vorsina E. V., Moskalenko T. V., Mikheev V. A. Experimental study of sorbent production in gas–steam activation of Kharanor lignite. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2019;(11):152-159. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236-1493-2019-11-0-152-159.

E.V. Vorsina¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, Senior Researcher,
T.V. Moskalenko¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Researcher,
V.A. Mikheev¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Head of Laboratory,
¹ Federal Research Center «Yakut Scientific Center SB RAS»,
Chersky Mining Institute of the North, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences,
677018, Yakutsk, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia.

V. A. Mikheev, e-mail: labkiy@mail.ru.

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