Application of Microwave Radiation at Coal Treatment Processes

This article presents a new approach to evaluation of coal with implementation microwave extraction of powders. Coal is the most abundant hydrocarbon resource on earth; therefore coal structure should be well understood for its effective utilization. Coal is a heterogeneous aggregate formed of cross-linked molecular network organic components. Coal is also considered as an organic polymeric material, with some inorganic impurities. The study of coal structure presents numerous problems due to heterogeneity, non-crystalline and insolubility. The sample of brown coal was from Handlova locality in Slovakia. The microwave extraction of Handlova brown coal was realised in microwave oven with using non-polar solvent dichloromethane. The advantage of using microwave-assisted extraction for the coal sample is the reduction of extraction time. The optimized conditions can be applied for extraction with good recoveries and reproducibility. Microwave technology uses electromagnetic waves that pass through material and cause its molecules to oscillate, generating heat. In a microwave oven, the average temperature of the solvent can be at a significantly higher temperature than the atmospheric boiling point. This is due to the fact that the microwave power is dissipated over the whole volume of the solvent. The coal sample after microwave-assisted extraction was analysed by SEM/EDX, thermal analyses. TG and DTG curves confirmed the major mass loss in the coal sample after the extraction (55.9 %). This is related to the major content of the organic phase. It is not possible clearly specify the mechanism of aggregation of grains. In this process, there is a significant impact of particles of nano size. The identification of dichloromethane extract of brown coal after the microwave assisted extraction by GC-MS method confirmed the presence of various kinds of organic compounds. The existence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was found.