Investigation on the Occurrences and Interactions of Corrosive Species during Pyrolysis of Zhundong Coal Using SSNMR and HT-XRD

The utilization of a typical Chinese low-rank coal (Zhundong coal) usually gives rise to severe fouling and slagging in equipment due to its excessively high content of sodium-bearing corrosive substances. This study systematically clarifies the occurrences and transformation mechanism of corrosive materials during pyrolysis of Zhongdong coal by combining solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR), in situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD), and Factsage simulation. For the first time, the experimental evidence in this study shows that the corrosive elements demonstrated distinct forms in coal and could be significantly varied by thermal treatment. Specifically, homogeneously distributed Na ions could mutually transform between inorganic and organic-bounded form under the influence of ionic force, resulting in its elutable feature. During pyrolysis, Na was successively transformed to be inorganic form and completely volatilized above 800 °C, thus diversifying Na-related fouling propensity in ...