Desulfurization of Low Rank Coal through Flotation Method Using Crude Palm Oil Surfactant

Abstract

The need for fossil fuels in the world from year to year is increasing. However, its availability does not increase and even tends to be constant. This causes a fuel crisis that has a comprehensive impact on other fields. Coal originating from the Lembantongoa area, Palolo District in Central Sulawesi is in the sub-bituminous and lignite classes. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of Lembantongoa coal as the first stage in determining the method of handling coal. The stages of the research were coal sampling and preparation. At the preparation stage, it included reducing water content, impurities, reducing the size and uniformizing the size. The next step was a proximate analysis consisting of the moisture content determination tested with a minimum free space oven, ash with muffle furnace ash, volatile matterwith volatile matter furnace; the carbon value remained in the difference of 100% with the results of the previous proximate analysis and the caloric value using the bomb calorimeter. The final stage of analysis was the ultimate analysis. This process tested sulfur content such as total, organic, and inorganic sulfur carried out by the combustion method at high temperatures. The results of the coal characteristics of the Lembantongoa region showed a proximate form of the water content of 8.12%; ash 42.17%; volatile matter27.05%; carbon remained 22.66%; calorie value of 4,030 calories/gram. In addition, there was also an ultimate analysis in the form of total sulfur content of 3.4%, inorganic sulfur including 1.7% pyrite sulfur; sulfur sulfate 0.6% and organic sulfur 1.1%. This ultimate characteristic analysis of coal showed that the quality was not much different from the results of coal analysis conducted by PT. Sucofindo.