Coliquefaction of coal and polystyrene in supercritical water

ABSTRACT

The coliquefaction of coal and polystyrene (PS) in supercritical water (SCW) was carried out in a 50-mL batch stainless steel autoclave reactor, and the effects of the polymer ratio by weight (10–40%), reaction temperature (633.5–703.5 K), and reaction time (30–120 min) were investigated. The main products were analyzed qualitatively by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography. The results show that polystyrene stimulates coal liquefaction as a hydrogen donor, and the synergistic effects during coliquefaction in SCW were confirmed. The conversion reached a maximum of 62.26% after 60 min at 673.5 K. The phase behavior during coliquefaction was observed in a fused silica capillary reactor using a combined microscope and video recorder system.

KEYWORDS:

• Coliquefacton
• phase behavior
• polystyrene
• supercritical water

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Additional information

Funding

Financial support for this research was provided by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21377116 and 21077092).