SELECTIVE OXIDATION FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF ORGANIC SULFUR AND NITROGEN COMPOUNDS IN COAL

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the selective oxidation for the characterization of organic sulfur and nitrogen compounds in coal. The peroxyacetic acid oxidation is used as a tool for the characterization of organic sulfur and nitrogen structures in coal. In a study described in the chapter, each of the methylated products was analyzed by gas chromatography using a variety of selective detectors. It was found that although many of the sulfur compounds detected in the oxidation products of the Illinois Basin coals and macerals were the same, their distribution varied considerably between the different macerals. Using dibenzothiophenes as an internal standard, it was found that between 20–40% of the total organic sulfur in these samples reported as methyl sulfonic acid (MSA) in the oxidation products. Model compound studies suggested that this MSA could arise from methyl disulfide or simple thiophene structures in the coal.