The characteristics of maceral in Huangling coal and its in-situ pyrolysis

In order to reveal the pyrolysis and coking characteristics of different components in coal, the macerals in Huangling coal were enriched by centrifugation, and the pyrolysis characteristics of macerals were studied. The transformation characteristics of macerals during pyrolysis were observed in-situ by heating stage microscope. The purities of vitrinite and inertinite are more than 90% and 80%, respectively, while the purity of liptinite is nearly 70%. The initial pyrolysis temperature of liptinite is about 385°C, and those of the other macerals are all about 410°C. The maximum pyrolysis temperatures are between 470–480°C for all macerals studied. The maximum weight loss rate and the total weight loss rate decrease in the order of liptinite, vitrinite, semi-vitrinite and inertinite. The softening temperature of the liptinite (including sapropelic groundmass) is 350–370°C, while that of vitrinite is about 410–420°C as shown by the in-situ pyrolysis in a heating stage microscope. The pyrolysis process of vitrinite goes through the stages of edge shrinking, pore formation, surface softening, the formation of liquid phase, and solidification. Only slight morphological changes are observed in semi-vitrinite, while no changes are observed in inertinite. The active components in Huangling coal are vitrinite and liptinite, and the liptinite can promote the softening and melting characteristics of the adjacent vitrinite.