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US4072475A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method for improving gasification process rates and yields by means of electrophilic aromatic substitution pretreatment of coal

Assignee: ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Co
•
Filing: 1976-09-03
•
Granted: 1978-02-07
•
Expires: 1996-09-03
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Abstract

Abstract Coal is electrophilically aromatically substituted (i.e., alkylated or acylated) in the presence of an alkylating or acylating agent with or without a catalyst under mild conditions to give a treated coal product. This treated coal product may then be solvent extracted to give an extract and an upgraded coal residue, with this residue being subjected to a gasification process procedure or the treated coal product may be subjected to gasification process procedures without any prior extraction being performed. By means of either technique, a material is prepared for which the rate of gasification and the yield of desired product upon gasification is dramatically increased when compared with nonelectrophilically aromatically substituted material (i.e., raw coal). An improved gasification process is disclosed comprising the steps of electrophilically aromatically substituting coal and subjecting such pretreated coal, either extracted or unextracted to gasification process techniques.

Inventors

  • 👤 Richard H. Schlosberg
  • 👤 Franklin J. Wright
  • 👤 Ronald L. Hartgerink

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-04 11:29
CPC Classifications
C; C10; C10L; C10L9/00; C10L9/02; C10B; C10B57/00; C10B57/08; C10J; C10J3/00; C10J2300/00; C10J2300/09; C10J2300/0903; C10J2300/0913; C10J2300/093; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S44/00; Y10S44/905

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim 61 words
A process for the gasification of coal which comprises: (1) treating the coal with a reagent selected from the group consisting of alkylating agents and acylating agents and thereby introducing into the coal a radical selected from the group consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbon radicals and acyl radicals respectively to yield a treated coal; (2) subjecting the treated coal to gasification conditions.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 61 words
A process for the gasification of coal which comprises: (1) treating the coal with a reagent selected from the group consisting of alkylating agents and acylating agents and thereby introducing into the coal a radical selected from the group consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbon radicals and acyl radicals respectively to yield a treated coal; (2) subjecting the treated coal to gasification conditions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 68 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the gasification reaction practiced on the treated coal comprises using materials selected from the group consisting of CO 2 , H 2 O, steam, H 2 , air, O 2 , CO, H 2 S, SO 2 , NH 3 and mixtures thereof at pressures ranging from atmospheric to 2000 psi and at temperatures ranging from about 300° to about 1000° C.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 62 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the reagent is an alkylating agent and is selected from the group consisting of olefins, paraffins, organo halides, wherein the organo group is an alkyl, cycloalkyl, arylcycloalkyl or aryl alkyl radical, the halogen is selected from the group consisting of fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine, and organo hydroxyls wherein the organo group is as defined previously.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 47 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the reagent is an acylating agent and is selected from the group consisting of CO, haloacyls and compounds having the formula ##STR9## wherein R is an alkyl, cycloalkyl, arylcycloalkyl or aryl alkyl radical and X is a halogen or anhydride derivative.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 23 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the treating step of step (1) practiced on the coal further comprises the use of a catalyst.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 28 words
The process of claim 4 wherein the acylation step is practiced on coal using carbon monoxide as the acylating agent in the presence of a hydrogen halide catalyst.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 70 words
The process of claim 1 wherein step (1) comprises treating the coal under appropriate conditions to an alkylation reagent selected from the group consisting of organo halides and organo hydroxyls, wherein the organo group is selected from the group consisting of C 2 -C 20 alkyl, cycloalkyl, arylcycloalkyl and aryl alkyl radical and halogen is selected from the group consisting of chlorine and bromine in the presence of a catalyst.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 17 words
The process of claim 5 wherein the catalyst is selected from the group consisting of Lewis acids.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 27 words
The process of claim 8 wherein the Lewis acid catalyst is selected from the group consisting of aluminum chloride, aluminum bromide, zinc chloride, ferric chloride, boron trifluoride.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 67 words
The process of claim 1 wherein step (1) practiced on the coal comprises: (1) treating the coal with a reagent selected from the group consisting of alkylating agents and acylating agents at a pressure and for a time sufficient to cause the coal to react with the reagent; (2) working the treated coal to remove substantially all of the unreacted reagents; (3) repeating steps (1) and (2).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 17 words
The process of claim 1 step (1) wherein the coal being treated is a higher rank coal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 18 words
The process of claim 11 wherein the coal is selected from the group consisting of bituminous and anthracite.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 21 words
The process of claim 11 wherein the coal is selected from the group consisting of Illinois #6 and Kentucky HVB coals.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 17 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the alkylating agent is a C 2 -C 8 alkyl halide.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 16 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the alkylating agent is a C 2 -C 8 olefin.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 17 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the acylating agent is a C 2 -C 20 acyl halide.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 27 words
The process of claim 1 further characterized by the step of extracting the treated coal of step (1) with a solvent before subjecting it to gasification conditions.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 31 words
The process of claim 17 wherein the solvent of the extraction step is selected from the group consisting of benzene, toluene, xylene, paraffins, alcohols, ethers, hydrocarbon halides, amines, phenols and ketones.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 41 words
The process of claim 1 further characterized by the step of slowly pyrolyzing the treated coal of step 1 resulting in a volatile product make and a char make and subjecting the char make to the gasification conditions of step (2).
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 40 words
The process of claim 19 wherein the slow pyrolysis step comprises heating the treated coal at a rate of from 0.1° C/min to 10° C/min to a temperature of from 200° to 1200° C in a flowing inert gas atmosphere.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 20 words
The process of claim 3 wherein the alkylation step practiced on the coal further comprises the use of a catalyst.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim 20 words
The process of claim 4 wherein the acylation step practiced on the coal further comprises the use of a catalyst.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim 17 words
The process of claim 21 wherein the catalyst is selected from the group consisting of Lewis acids.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim 28 words
The process of claim 23 wherein the Lewis acid catalyst is selected from the group consisting of aluminum chloride, aluminum bromide, zinc chloride, ferris chloride, and boron trifluoride.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim 12 words
The process of claim 22 wherein the catalyst is a hydrogen halide.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim 17 words
The process of claim 7 wherein the catalyst is selected from the group consisting of Lewis acids.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3920418A Cited
US3940190A Cited
US3888043A Cited
US3970541A Cited
US3996026A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1981-02-06 1981-08-08 1982-02-07 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1985-02-06 1985-08-08 1986-02-07 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1989-02-06 1989-08-08 1990-02-07 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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