STUDIES TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR DEASHING (DEMINERALIZATION) OF COALS

The direct use of coal for power generation may cause pollution from t he generation of fly ash and toxic mineral matter contents and due to the green house house effect, if not controlled. There is a need to fu rther develop efficient and cost- effective techniques of coal cleanin g. However,it is important to analyse the coal mineral matter directly to understand its chemical nature. The nature of bonding and associat ion been organic matter;of coal and various constituents of mineral ma tter may be understood. The state of aggregation of mineral matter and the studies of associative forces between mineral matter components m ight help in developing reagents to clean coal. Swelling behaviour of coal and its effect on dissociation of mineral matter may be studied. A real break- though in the development of efficient and cost- effecti ve coal cleaning technologies may be expected only after studying the nature of mineral matter constituents of coal and their interaction wi th coal swelling reagents when present in microquantities in water, CO 2 etc. medium.