THERMOGRAVIMETRIC STUDY OF ANTHRACITE GASIFICATION IN CO2 CATALYZED BY BLACK LIQUOR

Black liquor (BL) was tested as catalyst in the gasification of anthracite (AN) in CO2. The catalytic activity of BL was investigated under different heating conditions and as a function of the BL content in the samples, and also in comparison with NaOH and KOH. Techniques used in this study were flame emission spectrometry and thermogravimetry. The starting BL and AN as well as the catalyst-containing samples were analyzed and heated under dynamic and isothermal conditions in N-2 and CO2. The heat treatments of BL and AN produced a number of weight loss effects, which were associated with dehydration, devolatization, decomposition, and gasification processes of the starting materials. The catalytic activity of BL was marked only from 750-800 degrees C. It seemed to reach the top when the Na content in the BL-AN sample was about 6.4 wt % and to be slightly higher than when NaOH or KOH was used.