Ultrafine coal single stage dewatering and briquetting process. Technical report, December 1, 1994--February 28, 1995

It is well known that a large portion of the pyrite particles in the coal seams of the Illinois Basin, are finely disseminated within the coal matrix. In order to liberate these micron size pyrite particles, one must use a fine grinding operation. The ultrafine coal particles that are produced are difficult to dewater and they create problems in coal transportation as well as in its storage and handling at utility plants. The objective of this research project is to combine ultrafine coal dewatering and briquetting processes into a single stage operation. This will be accomplished by the use of bitumen based emulsions for dewatering and a compaction device for briquetting. During this reporting period, two types of coal samples have been tested for use in the dewatering and briquetting processes. These tests were carried out using Orimulsion as the dewatering reagent. A ram extruder that can be operated continuously is used to fabricate dewatered pellets. The influence of compaction pressure, curing time, binder concentration (2% to 5%), particle size, and compacting time on the performance of coal pellets have been evaluated in terms of their water resistance and wear vulnerability