ABSTRACT
The primary reason for analyzing coal is to determine whether it will meet the needs of a speci“c application, or to characterize the general quality of the coal for future reference. For instance, coal may be analyzed to determine how much sulfur (or other element) is present, its form, and how it is distributed. If the sulfur is present in discrete pyrite grains, then much of it may be cleaned out of the coal; but, if it is organically bound, then the sulfur may be released only by burning, by using a solvent, or by employing a bacteriologic technique (although the latter two techniques are still largely experimental). If the coal has a high organic sulfur content, then it may have to be mixed or blended with a coal of lower sulfur content in order to meet sulfur emissions standards, or the sulfur may have to be cleaned out of the ¢ue gas by FGD, which is an expensive procedure. Similarly, analysis may determine whether a trace element, such as arsenic, may be eliminated from a coal by washing or whether it must be trapped in the ¢ue gas. Finally, in extreme cases, analysis may determine that the coal cannot be used.
