Chlorine in Coal

The Illinois basin coals have a chlorine content which varies from 0.1% to values in excess of 0.5%. The mean chlorine content of the coal being mined is steadily rising. Customers are already expressing some unease and contracts limiting the chlorine content of coal have been reported. This has potentially significant implications for the industry.;The object of this Conference was to attempt to quantify the impact of coal chlorine content on a variety of coal-using technologies, and to identify new research which is necessary to allow a rational definition of the limits of chlorine content required for each technology. The distribution of chlorine in the Illinois Basin coals was considered, and the current state of knowledge of the forms in which the chlorine is present in the coal was reviewed. The release of the chlorine from the coal during its processing, and the forms in which it is present in the products was examined. This information permits an assessment of the viability of methods of removing chlorine, either in coal preparation or from the post-processing products. The effect of chlorine on the coal conversion and combustion processes, and on the balance of the plant was reviewed. The most important effects are on the corrosion of construction materials at both high and low temperatures.;These proceedings should be of interest to power plant, corrosion, and chemical engineers, and to coal cleaning technologists and researchers.