Desulfurization of coal using SnO2/TiO2 nanocomposite immobilized on glass beads under solar light irradiation

Coal is one of the important sources of energies and its combustion produce sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere, which needs desulphurization to avoids the pollution issue. Coal desulfurization was performed using SnO2/TiO2 nanocomposite under solar light irradiation. The SnO2/TiO2 was synthesized by co-precipitation method and deposited on glass beads. The prepared SnO2/TiO2 was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. The SnO2/TiO2 nanocomposite desulfurization efficiency was performed under solar light irradiation and process variables, i.e., irradiation time, H2O2 and pH were optimized for maximum desulfurization of coal. The SnO2/TiO2 nanocomposite showed promising efficiency and 60 % sulfur removal was achieved under optimum conditions. Based on efficiency, the SnO2/TiO2 nanocomposite has potential for the desulphurization of coal under solar light exposure, which will make the process highly economical feasible.