Utilisation prospects of bapung coal, Meghalaya, Northeast India

Abstract

Bapung coal in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya is important with respect to its quality. The unique physico-chemical composition (low ash, high volatiles, and hydrogen content) of the coal exhibits better utilisation prospects. The coal has low ash content (1.5–2.8%) but high organic sulphur (2.44–3.64%), which is intimately intermingled with the coal. The coal can be used in blends (10–15%) with Gondwana coal (high ash, low sulphur) which is now practiced in the Bengal–Jharkhand region for producing metallurgical coke for steel plants. The high reactive content (vitrinite and liptinite, 83.7%) of this coal improves the overall composition of Gondwana coal with high inert content; it is suitable for stream-raising and gasification. The low temperature carbonization (LTC) of coal yields coke—595 to 689 kg, tar —109 to 136 lt, liquor—51 to 77 lt, and gas—97.5 to 130.6 cubic-metre per tonne for coal. The quality of the coke is not good and found to be non-caking. The LTC tar can be more readily converted in one stage to petroleum oil due to its high hydrogen content (5.13–5.70%).