Study on the effect of domesticated microorganisms on the desulphurisation characteristics and inhibition of spontaneous combustion of high sulphur coal

Abstract

Biodesulphurisation is of paramount importance for the sustainable development and environmentally responsible utilisation of coal resources. In the study, biological desulphurisation experiments were conducted on high-sulphur coal by utilising domesticated Escherichia coli (DE) and domesticated Phanerochaete chrysosporium (DP). The effects of diverse microorganisms on the C, O and S content, desulphurisation efficiency and oxidation functionality of high-sulphur coal were examined. The findings revealed that the C reduction ratios in coal treated with DE and DP were 2.63 % and 6.14 %, respectively, while the O content increased slightly in both cases. The desulphurisation rates of total sulphur in coal by DE and DP were 64 % and 70.67 %, respectively. DE exhibited delayed effect on the characteristic temperature of coals. In the pyrolysis stage, DE increased the apparent activation energy of the coal by 15.13 kJ/mol, whereas DP increased that by 73.66 kJ/mol. This work assessed the capacity of the experimental microorganisms to impede the oxidation and removal of sulphur in high-sulphur coal.