Mineral
transformations and morphological changes of Victorian
brown coals were investigated in a two-stage process, coal pyrolysis
followed by gasification of char in CO2, using an entrained
flow reactor. The mineral transformations during coal pyrolysis and
char gasification were examined over a wide range of temperatures
between 700 and 1400 °C by X-ray diffraction and secondary scanning
electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. In
general, mineral transformations of Victorian brown coals were found
to happen at high temperatures (1000–1400 °C), not at
low temperatures. During coal pyrolysis, Fe2O3 from the oxidation of Fe3O4 was formed in
Yallourn (YL) samples, but Fe3O4 from the reduction
of Fe2O3 was formed in Maddingley (MD) samples.
During char gasification, reduction of Fe2O3 by CO and decomposition of CaSO4 by CO were found in
YL and MD samples. Furthermore, CaO from CaSO4 decomposition
was transformed to Ca2SiO4 in YL and was transformed
to CaMgSiO4 in MD samples. YL and MD also showed similar
morphological changes during gasification. Mineral constituents with
high Fe content were first found at 1000 °C because of reduction
of Fe2O3. Melting of sulfates like MgSO4 and ablite was then found at 1200 °C. However, Loy Yang
coal with a high percentage of SiO2 seemed to be thermochemically
stable in terms of the behavior of mineral matters. Mineral transformations
during char gasification of YL and MD tended to decrease the ash fusion
temperature and slag viscosity, and enhance the gasification rate
in CO2.