The
interaction of water and hydrophilic sites with hydroxyl, carboxyl,
and multiple oxygen-containing functional groups (OFGs) in lignite
molecules was studied by density functional theory. The adsorption
of water molecules on the lignite surface initially resulted in the
formation of hydrogen bond-driven stable rings by three to four water
molecules, followed by the formation of three-dimensional water clusters
like a ″patchwork″. Aqueous layer thickness obtained
from the water cluster size was 0.4–0.6 nm, which was consistent
with the experimental data. Thus, pore-filling water beyond this range
was less affected by the OFGs on the surface. Calculation of the adsorption
energy predicts that the water clusters were primarily formed in the
hydrophilic sites with three OFGs (site 1, including a carbonyl group,
an alcoholic hydroxyl group and an etheroxy group in tetrahydropyran),
then in COOH, and in O–H. For isolated hydroxyl groups, the
interaction between the hydroxyl group and water molecules was weaker
than that between the water molecules. When the water cluster was
located at the hydrophilic sites with two or more OFGs, the adsorption
energy of lignite–water interaction was higher than that of
water–water interaction. Investigating the thermodynamics of
the adsorption process at a molecular scale will help in understanding
both drying and resorption process of dried lignite during industrial
production.