ABSTRACT
Coal is widely used as a source of power and heat by the chemical, paper, cement, and metal industries. The use of coal as a fuel has the potential of causing environmental damage. The furnace is heated to 230°F at a rate of 140°F/min and is held isothermally for 5 minutes while water is vaporized off from the coal sample. An American Society for Testing and Materials method for determining sulfur in coal uses the washings from the oxygen bomb calorimeter. The instrumental analysis provides a reliable and rapid method for determining sulfur contents of coal or coke. The major or minor elements in coal ash can are determined using X-ray fluorescence techniques. The "fingerprint" of a given type of coal is its distinctive gamma spectrogram. This is produced by the detection and counting of photons released from atomic nuclei in the coal as it passes over a small source of neutron emissions.
