The influence of hydrophilic groups on slurry-ability of Chinese coals

Two groups of representative coal samples have been characterized, and their slurry-ability has been evaluated under strictly controlled conditions in laboratory. Through computer program analyses, the Oxygen content of coal on dry-ash-free basis is found to be the most relevant coal parameters governing all the coals’ slurry-ability. In order to understand the behavior of different oxygen functional groups, FTIR analysis have been made for 10 of those coals with narrow coahfication range. Study on the FTIR adsorption peak area corresponding to hydroxyl and carboxyl groups leads to a definition of modified hydroxyl content. The result shows that the influence of carboxyl groups to slurry-ability is 13 time stronger than the hydroxyl group.