Dynamic and simultaneous analyses of gaseous sulfur and hydrocarbon compounds released during pyrolysis of coal

A flame ionization detector (FID) and a flame photometric detector (FPD) with a sulfur filter are coupled with a fixed-bed micro-reactor for temperature-programmed decomposition (TPD), TPD-FPD&FID, to allow simultaneously analysis of gaseous sulfur compounds and gaseous hydrocarbons released during pyrolysis of coals. As an example, a Chinese bituminous coal is used. Detailed experimental and quantification procedures are discussed. The results, mass of gaseous sulfur compounds and mass of gaseous hydrocarbons released as functions of pyrolysis temperature, can be used to analyze pyrolysis behavior and characteristics of sulfur and organic matrix in the coal. The results show that the method is reproducible with high accuracy in a wide range of experimental conditions, and the total amounts of sulfur determined by the FPD measurements are highly comparable to that obtained using a standard wet chemistry method.