Experimental study on drying and moisture re-adsorption kinetics of an Indonesian low rank coal

The drying kinetics of an Indonesian low rank coal and moisture re-adsorption of the dried coal using a thermobalance and a climatic chamber were investigated. Results show that the drying kinetics is best represented by two stages, as a constatnt rate stage followed by a rate decay stage. The water removal rate is dependent mainly on drying temperature and coal sample size. The apparent activation energy (E) of drying was 26.58 kJ/mol. A rate equation for drying of the coal was obtained from the experimental data. The moisture re-adsorption rate was dependent on drying temperature, coal particle size, and relative humidity of the atmosphere. © 2009 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences.