Microwave-assisted
extraction (MAE) of a low-rank Naomaohu (NMH)
coal was conducted with two solvents, cyclohexanone (CYC) and tetrahydrofuran
(THF), to obtain extracts (ECYC and ETHF) and
residues (RCYC and RTHF). The parent coal, extract,
and residue were characterized by ultimate analysis, TG, FTIR, GPC, 1H NMR, and solid-state 13C NMR. The results showed
that MAE process is more efficient than Soxhlet extraction. The solvent
CYC exhibits a higher total extract yield of 8.3 wt % than THF, being
4.7 wt %, during MAE and more efficiency in extracting organic components
of NMH coal, especially condensed arenes and macromolecular compounds.
The average molecular weight of ECYC is higher than that
of average aromatic cluster of NMH coal. Online pyrolysis–vacuum
ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry was taken to determine
the initial pyrolysis products of parent coal, RCYC, and
ECYC. The distribution of initial pyrolysis products suggested
that NMH coal and ECYC possess similar basic arene structures
and ECYC is rich in macromolecular clusters with lots of
side chains and bridge bonds. The chemical structure of ECYC could reflect the macromolecular network structure of NMH coal to
some extent. This could be an effective method to understand the organic
structure of coal.