Desulfurization of Brown Coal in Water under Supercritical Conditions

A method for the desulfurization of brown coal by treatment in supercritical water (T = 673.15 K, P = 30 MPa) with the subsequent deposition of gaseous sulfur compounds on a copper substrate was proposed. The products were refined fuel with a low heat value of 24 MJ/kg and Cu2S films with a thickness of 0.1 mm. The semiconductor Cu2S films can be used for the preparation of thin-film photoelectric energy converters. The greatest degree of the removal of sulfur from the brown coal was observed after an hour. The main sulfur-containing gas formed upon the autoclave treatment of brown coal in supercritical water was H2S. © 2018, Allerton Press, Inc.