In this study, some chemical and technological properties of oils from 12 crop and 5 kernel samples were determined and compared. Kinematic viscosity, cetane number, carbon residue, sulfur content, ash content, higher heating value, iodine value, saponification value, and fatty acid composition for each oil sample was determined. Palmitic and stearic were 2 of the most common saturated fatty acids, with every vegetable oil containing at least a small amount of each one. Similarly, oleic and linoleic were the most common unsaturated fatty acids. Many of the oils also contained some linolenic acid. Compared to No. 2 diesel fuel, all of the vegetable oils were much more viscous, while viscosities of the methyl esters from the oils were slightly higher than that of No. 2 diesel fuel.

This study is mainly focused on mineralogy and trace element contents of the 5 bituminous coal seams, upwards Cay, Acilik, Sulu, Hacimemis, and Kurul, from the Asma-Dilaver and Gelik underground mines in the Zonguldak Basin, Turkey. In addition, some properties of the Akalin seam from Karayigit (2001) were also used in the present study. The coal seams are located in the lower-middle part of the coal-bearing Kozlu Formation of the Westphalian A (Upper Carboniferous) age and are extensively exploited in the underground mines for mainly metallurgical cokes. A total of 43 channel coal samples that represent the whole coal thickness have been evaluated in the present study. The coal samples on an air-dried basis were characterized by variable ash yields and low total S contents. The identifiable minerals by X-ray diffraction in whole-coal samples include clay minerals (kaolinite, illite, and chlorite), quartz, calcite, dolomite, pyrite, and siderite. All calcite and dolomite, and some siderite and pyrite, were formed in cleat-fracture infillings. Calcite contents are much higher in the samples from the Asma-Dilaver mines than the Gelik mines, while their dolomite and pyrite contents are relatively lower. Accessory mineralogy in selected samples was determined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). Elemental concentrations of the coal samples analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) are relatively low, and the majority have variations in their contents among coal seams. The seam means of elemental concentrations, except for trace elements Cs, Mn, Rb, and Th in some seams, fall within the ranges of values for most world coals. Some trace elements (Sc, Cr, Cu, Ga, Rb, REEs, Y, Cs, Hf, Ba, Ta, Nb, Th, W, Zr, U, Zn, Pb, Bi, Tl, Be, Mo, and Co) in all the samples correlate positively with the ash yields, indicating that they are primarily associated with mineral matter. The remaining trace elements As, Cd, Ge, Mn, Sb, and Sr have no correlation with the ash yield.

An experimental research project is presented in this article which addresses some key technical issues in the operating process of converting waste plastics into fuels. In particular, these issues have been existing in the manufacture of fuel oils and chemicals from cracking the waste plastics. This study investigated the catalytic cracking action of a self-made catalyst, YNN (for the polyene plastics), and the reforming action of a self-made molecular sieve catalyst, HC-1 (for the plastics cracking production), by using an improved fluidized bed as the reactor. The project examined various impacts of several factors such as the reaction temperature and catalyst dosage on reaction process and production. The optimal reaction conditions were identified. Based on these conditions, bench-scale experiment was carried out by using mixed waste plastics. The experiment’s product of liquid fuels could meet national standards for auto fuels.

The prediction of lignite quality, especially when no online analyzers are used, is a complicated problem. Certain time- and money-consuming laboratory parameters have to be taken into account in order for the recoverableor/and run-off mine lignite quality to be determined. Apart from lignite quality, the quality of lignite ash is of prime importance. This article deals with some simple techniques based on proximate analysis data for a quick and reliable prediction of both lignite and lignite ash quality.

Oxygen in coal is in more than one form. Oxygen-containing functional groups are thought to play a key role in the structure of coal and have a significant effect on the process of coal pyrolysis. This paper describes the fate of oxygen in coal pyrolysis. Three Chinese coals were heated in high-purity Ar at 10°C/min with a fixed-bed reactor, and the oxygen distribution has been examined in detail. Model compounds containing oxygen were pyrolyzed in a quartz boat using a Pyroprobe 2000 (CDS) coil probe directly coupled to a BIORAD FTIR model FTS-165 spectroscopy. Thermal decomposition results show more than 70% oxygen evolution in the gas-phase oxygen; the major form of gas-phase oxygen was CO and CO2. CO2 was produced at a low temperature, CO at a high temperature. The carboxyl group of coal is related to the evolution of CO2. Large oxygen converted into the gas phase between 400 and 500°C. The conversion to tar-O was always < 10%; phenol and its derivatives in tar are the only stable pyrolysis products. The amounts of phenol tended to decrease with an increase in heating rate. At higher temperatures, lower product yields of phenolic compounds in tar are obtained.

Various fuel characteristics, such as moisture, ash, lignin, holocellulose, and extractive contents of different parts of these species, were determined on an ash-free dry weight and extractive-free dry weight basis to find the relationship, if any, between ash and extractive content with the higher heating value (HHV). Moisture in wood generally decreases its heating value. Ash and extractive content are 2 important parameters directly affecting the heating value. High ash content of a plant part makes it less desirable as fuel, whereas high extractive content adds to its desirability. Again the heat content, which is a very important factor affecting utilization of any material as a fuel, is affected by the proportion of extractives present in it. Extractives raise the HHVs of the wood samples. In addition to higher lignin content, softwoods are considered to have greater HHVs because of their resin or extractive contents. The overall HHV among the species varied from 18.60 to 20.34 MJ/kg and the HHV on an ash-free basis varied from 19.33 to 22.01 MJ/kg.

In zebra-type lignite deposits, lignite layers alternate with intercalations of carbonaceous layers containing an exploitable amount of energy. This exploitation is possible by coexcavation of carbonaceous layers with the lignite layers. The exploitation of carbonaceous layers leads to better economic results, increasing the deposit recovery, the lignite production, the productivity, and the total energy reserve. In the case of the Southern Field lignite deposit, the exploitation of carbonaceous layers increases the deposit recovery by 15.8% and the energy content by 16.5%.