Non-coking coal to coke: use of biomass based blending material

The effect of blending different biomass material with Indian non-coking coal is investigated. Non-coking coal from Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), Nagpur, India with high volatile matter was used in the experiment. The idea behind this paper was to produce reasonably good coke and match its property according to standards. Biomass material with low ash and hydrogen contents between 5% and 7% were used for blending with coal with high ash content (32%) and low hydrogen content (3%). The coke button with the best swelling number was taken for large scale testing first in a 1 L reactor and then in a 100 L reactor, both designed specially for this experiment. The buttons obtained were matched with different swelling number profiles ranging from 0 to 9 in increments of 1/2. The coke obtained was tested for proximate analysis, total sulphur content and shatter index. The tests indicated that the coke formed could be considered as a Foundry Coke of Grade-3 as per standards and specifications. Preliminary testing for coke formation was conducted in a muffle furnace according to standard prescribed procedures.