The cleaning and dewatering of ultrafine (minus 44 micron) coal slurries is one of the biggest challenges faced by coal industry. Existing commercial technologies cannot produce sellable products from these ultrafine streams; therefore, the industry is forced to discard this potential energy resource to waste impoundments. This practice also has the potential to create an environmental hazard associated with blackwater pollution. To address these issues, researchers at Virginia Tech have worked over the past decade to develop a novel separation process that simultaneously removes both mineral matter and surface moisture from fine coal particles. The first stage of the process uses immiscible non-polar liquids, such as straight chain hydrocarbons, to selectively agglomerate fine coal particles in an aqueous medium. The agglomerates are then passed second stage of processing where mild agitation is used to disperse and fully engulf hydrophobic coal particles into the non-polar liquid and to simultaneously reject any residual water and associated hydrophillic minerals entrapped in the agglomerates. The non-polar liquid, which has a low heat of evaporation, is then recovered by evaporation/condensation and recycled back through the process. The research work described in this document focused on the engineering development of this innovative process using batch laboratory and continuous bench-scale systems. The resulting data was used to design a proof-of-concept (POC) pilot-scale plant that was constructed and successfully demonstrated using a variety of fine coal feedstocks. / Ph. D.

Fluidised bed drying is currently receiving much attention as a dewatering option after the beneficiation of fine coal (defined in this study as between 1mm and 2mm particles). The aim of this study was to investigate the removal of moisture from fine coal by using air at relatively low temperatures of between 25°C and 60°C within a controlled environment by lowering of the relative humidity of air. The first part of the experimental work was completed in a controlled climate chamber with the coal samples in a static non-fluidised state. Drying in the second part was carried out using a fluidised bed with conditioned air as the fluidising medium. Introduction of airflow to the system led to a lower moisture content in the coal samples and it also proved to have the ability to increase the drying rate. It was determined that the airflow had the ability to remove more free moisture from the filter cake. In addition more inherent moisture could also be removed by using upward flowing air, resulting in a lower equilibrium moisture content. It was proven that the airflow rate and relative humidity of the drying air contributed to faster drying rates. The effect of temperature was not as significant as expected, but higher temperatures did increase the drying rate at higher airflow and lower humidity conditions. The larger surface areas of particles create surface and capillary forces that prevent the moisture from leaving the finer coal particles. It was found that the rate of drying is independent of the moisture content in the coal sample. Just in terms of the fastest drying time and drying rate in the fluidised bed, it was concluded that the most efficient conditions is airflow above minimum fluidisation point causing vigorous mixing and maximum contact with the drying air. In addition to the high airflow it was concluded that 30% relative humidity and 55°C resulted in the fastest drying time. All the drying processes at all the airflow rates, temperature and relative humidity conditions were energy efficient. This process was shown to be energy positive, resulting in an overall energy gain. The overall energy consumption for the fluidised bed is lower than for all the dryer systems compared to and it compared favourably with other thermal drying technologies. It was therefore shown that this is a viable technology for the dewatering of fine coal. / MIng (Chemical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Fluidised bed drying is currently receiving much attention as a dewatering option after the beneficiation of fine coal (defined in this study as between 1mm and 2mm particles). The aim of this study was to investigate the removal of moisture from fine coal by using air at relatively low temperatures of between 25°C and 60°C within a controlled environment by lowering of the relative humidity of air. The first part of the experimental work was completed in a controlled climate chamber with the coal samples in a static non-fluidised state. Drying in the second part was carried out using a fluidised bed with conditioned air as the fluidising medium. Introduction of airflow to the system led to a lower moisture content in the coal samples and it also proved to have the ability to increase the drying rate. It was determined that the airflow had the ability to remove more free moisture from the filter cake. In addition more inherent moisture could also be removed by using upward flowing air, resulting in a lower equilibrium moisture content. It was proven that the airflow rate and relative humidity of the drying air contributed to faster drying rates. The effect of temperature was not as significant as expected, but higher temperatures did increase the drying rate at higher airflow and lower humidity conditions. The larger surface areas of particles create surface and capillary forces that prevent the moisture from leaving the finer coal particles. It was found that the rate of drying is independent of the moisture content in the coal sample. Just in terms of the fastest drying time and drying rate in the fluidised bed, it was concluded that the most efficient conditions is airflow above minimum fluidisation point causing vigorous mixing and maximum contact with the drying air. In addition to the high airflow it was concluded that 30% relative humidity and 55°C resulted in the fastest drying time. All the drying processes at all the airflow rates, temperature and relative humidity conditions were energy efficient. This process was shown to be energy positive, resulting in an overall energy gain. The overall energy consumption for the fluidised bed is lower than for all the dryer systems compared to and it compared favourably with other thermal drying technologies. It was therefore shown that this is a viable technology for the dewatering of fine coal. / MIng (Chemical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Coal in the finer particle size ranges (below 1 mm) has always suffered from poor cleaning efficiencies. This problem has been exacerbated in recent years with the increased amount of high ash fines due to continuous mining machines and the mining of dirtier coal seams. In the present work, it is proposed to improve overall plant efficiencies by processing coarser coal in column flotation than is now commonly treated by that method. Column flotation for coarse coal is supported by actual lab and plant test data that result in a full-scale column plant installation. The fundamentals of coarse particle detachment from bubbles are reviewed and a new simplified model is developed which better handles cubical and rectangular coal particles. Much of the lower efficiency of fine coal cleaning is due to poor size separation of the fine-sized raw coal which results in misplaced high ash fines reporting to the coarser size streams. By sending coarser material to column flotation, the finest size separation that takes place in a plant can be as coarse as 0.5 mm or greater. The proper use of wash water in a flotation column then becomes the best mechanism for desliming of the high ash clays. This work quantifies the benefits of removing the high ash fines from the plant product and increasing overall plant yield by increasing the amount of near-gravity coarse material. The resulting yield gain is greater than that obtained from only the increased fine coal recovery. Methods of column operation for improved coarse coal recovery are also evaluated. / Ph. D.

Beneficiation of fine coal (+500 μm –2000 μm) is a worldwide problem in the mining industry, especially dry beneficiation of fine coal. Coal beneficiation can be divided primarily into two methods, namely wet- and dry beneficiation. Wet beneficiation methods are utilized more in today‘s industry because of the sharp separation efficiency that can be achieved. These processes include wet jigging, dense medium cyclones, spiral beneficiation etc. Due to the lack of a sufficient water supply in some regions around the world including South Africa, dry beneficiation methods are becoming more popular. Recent mechanized mining methods caused the fraction of fines from coal mines to increase over the years. However, due to old inefficient technologies, coal fines contained in slurry ponds could not be beneficiated and had to be discarded. One new dry beneficiation technology that has been used and researched extensively is the fluidized dense medium bed (FDMB) technology. The purpose of this study is to determine whether fine coal can be successfully beneficiated with a FDMB. It also has to be determined whether adding magnetite and introducing a jigging (pulse) motion to the air feed will increase the separation efficiency of the fluidization process. Witbank seam 4 and a Waterberg coal was used in experiments during this study. A coarse (+1180 μm –2000 μm), fine (+500 μm –1180 μm) and a mix of the two samples were prepared and tested. It was found that adding magnetite to the feed of the fluidized bed did not increase the separation efficiency. However, previous studies indicated the opposite results with regards to magnetite addition. The difference in results obtained could be prescribed to the ultrafine nature of the magnetite and the small coal particles size range used. If the presence of fine particles in the bed increases, the stability of fluidization decreases. In turn, the separation efficiency of the process decreases. Subjecting the feed air flow to a pulsating motion did not have a significant effect on separation. Good results were still obtained with jigging experiments, although not better than with normal fluidization. Stratification of coal particles according to quality was evident by the results obtained during experiments. The quality of coal increases from the bottom to the top of the bed. Overall the fluidized bed, in the absence of magnetite, was found to be a sufficient de-ashing process and further research on this technology could be very beneficial to the coal industry. / MIng (Chemical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The search for efficient and economical ways to beneficiate fine coal remains an active research area. Recent developments have shown that the reflux classifier can successfully be used on Australian coals, and based on that, a number of pilot plant investigations have been done in South Africa. While pilot scale units are usually used to test the applicability of a new technology on specific coals, a need exists to gather more fundamental data at a laboratory scale in order to save manpower, costs and time. This study has aimed at introducing a way to pre-test material prior to pilot plant trials in the design chain. The study shows that a laboratory water only reflux classifier can be used as a density fractionator, which accurately produces washability data for coal – this was also investigated by Callen et al. (2008). There is also a linear correlation between density cut-point and fluid velocity within the plates. Only when looking at the model proposed in Walton (2011:68), does it become clear that the relationship is indeed slightly curved. Many investigations from laboratory and pilot tests accept the linear relationship, and describe it as slightly curved due to the settling being in the intermediate settling regime (Iveson et al., 2014; Galvin & Lui, 2011). The separation procedures that produce two products – an overflow and underflow – compare well with fractionation results produced. Thus, fractionation results can generate washability data and predict batch separation operations. The laboratory reflux classifier setup is also dependent on particle size, where individual size ranges achieve e.p.m. values of 0.012 and 0.030, while the combined separation efficiency is 0.039. It was, however, found that the respective laboratory scale reflux classifier that was designed and built was not suitable for continuous operation. The vertical fluidisation section was not high enough to enable a steady fluidised bed. This was necessary for density separation within the bed and to produce a significant pressure differential. It is also recommended to obtain a PID controller. / MIng (Chemical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Beneficiation of fine coal (+500 μm –2000 μm) is a worldwide problem in the mining industry, especially dry beneficiation of fine coal. Coal beneficiation can be divided primarily into two methods, namely wet- and dry beneficiation. Wet beneficiation methods are utilized more in today‘s industry because of the sharp separation efficiency that can be achieved. These processes include wet jigging, dense medium cyclones, spiral beneficiation etc. Due to the lack of a sufficient water supply in some regions around the world including South Africa, dry beneficiation methods are becoming more popular. Recent mechanized mining methods caused the fraction of fines from coal mines to increase over the years. However, due to old inefficient technologies, coal fines contained in slurry ponds could not be beneficiated and had to be discarded. One new dry beneficiation technology that has been used and researched extensively is the fluidized dense medium bed (FDMB) technology. The purpose of this study is to determine whether fine coal can be successfully beneficiated with a FDMB. It also has to be determined whether adding magnetite and introducing a jigging (pulse) motion to the air feed will increase the separation efficiency of the fluidization process. Witbank seam 4 and a Waterberg coal was used in experiments during this study. A coarse (+1180 μm –2000 μm), fine (+500 μm –1180 μm) and a mix of the two samples were prepared and tested. It was found that adding magnetite to the feed of the fluidized bed did not increase the separation efficiency. However, previous studies indicated the opposite results with regards to magnetite addition. The difference in results obtained could be prescribed to the ultrafine nature of the magnetite and the small coal particles size range used. If the presence of fine particles in the bed increases, the stability of fluidization decreases. In turn, the separation efficiency of the process decreases. Subjecting the feed air flow to a pulsating motion did not have a significant effect on separation. Good results were still obtained with jigging experiments, although not better than with normal fluidization. Stratification of coal particles according to quality was evident by the results obtained during experiments. The quality of coal increases from the bottom to the top of the bed. Overall the fluidized bed, in the absence of magnetite, was found to be a sufficient de-ashing process and further research on this technology could be very beneficial to the coal industry. / MIng (Chemical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The search for efficient and economical ways to beneficiate fine coal remains an active research area. Recent developments have shown that the reflux classifier can successfully be used on Australian coals, and based on that, a number of pilot plant investigations have been done in South Africa. While pilot scale units are usually used to test the applicability of a new technology on specific coals, a need exists to gather more fundamental data at a laboratory scale in order to save manpower, costs and time. This study has aimed at introducing a way to pre-test material prior to pilot plant trials in the design chain. The study shows that a laboratory water only reflux classifier can be used as a density fractionator, which accurately produces washability data for coal – this was also investigated by Callen et al. (2008). There is also a linear correlation between density cut-point and fluid velocity within the plates. Only when looking at the model proposed in Walton (2011:68), does it become clear that the relationship is indeed slightly curved. Many investigations from laboratory and pilot tests accept the linear relationship, and describe it as slightly curved due to the settling being in the intermediate settling regime (Iveson et al., 2014; Galvin & Lui, 2011). The separation procedures that produce two products – an overflow and underflow – compare well with fractionation results produced. Thus, fractionation results can generate washability data and predict batch separation operations. The laboratory reflux classifier setup is also dependent on particle size, where individual size ranges achieve e.p.m. values of 0.012 and 0.030, while the combined separation efficiency is 0.039. It was, however, found that the respective laboratory scale reflux classifier that was designed and built was not suitable for continuous operation. The vertical fluidisation section was not high enough to enable a steady fluidised bed. This was necessary for density separation within the bed and to produce a significant pressure differential. It is also recommended to obtain a PID controller. / MIng (Chemical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

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Submitted by ADEMIR RIBEIRO MENDONÇA null (33182912852) on 2018-02-08T15:21:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação de Ademir Ribeiro Mendonça.pdf: 1590154 bytes, checksum: b3e14a029c00dc98399df1a34c748eb1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Alexandra Maria Donadon Lusser Segali null (alexmar@fcav.unesp.br) on 2018-02-09T12:42:32Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 mendonça_ar_me_jabo.pdf: 1590154 bytes, checksum: b3e14a029c00dc98399df1a34c748eb1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-02-09T12:42:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 mendonça_ar_me_jabo.pdf: 1590154 bytes, checksum: b3e14a029c00dc98399df1a34c748eb1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-08 / Os resíduos de carvão vegetal podem ser utilizados de forma eficiente na agricultura, quando aplicados ao solo, em doses e granulometria adequadas exercem excelente desempenho aos vegetais. O trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de estudar a interação entre doses e granulometrias de carvão vegetal de Eucalyptus citriodora em solo argiloso, na produção de cenoura híbrida de verão cultivar Mariana. O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação na cidade de Bebedouro, SP. Com 16 tratamentos em esquema fatorial com 5x3+1, sendo 5 granulometrias (1 a 2 mm, 2 a 4 mm, 4 a 8 mm, 8 a 16 mm e 16 a 32 mm) combinadas com 3 doses (25, 50 e 75% em volume de carvão vegetal) mais controle (somente solo), com 4 repetições, em vasos de 8 litros dispostos num delineamento inteiramente ao acaso. Foi avaliada a retenção de água no início e final do ensaio, determinado o crescimento da parte aérea aos 30, 45, 60, 75 e 90 dias após emergência, bem como massa fresca e seca da raiz e parte aérea e dimensões das cenouras na colheita. Observou-se que o melhor desempenho das plantas ocorre na combinação de 50% (v/v) de carvão vegetal com a granulometria de 2 a 4 mm. No início do cultivo as plantas crescem melhor no solo, mas apresentam desempenho superior nos tratamentos com carvão vegetal a partir de 60 dias após emergência. / Charcoal wastes can be used efficiently in agriculture if well managed. With this purpose, this research aimed to study the interaction between dose and size of fine coal particles in clay soil, for carrot production. The experiment was conducted with 16 treatments in a 5x3 + 1 factorial scheme (5 granulometry: 1 to 2 mm, 2 to 4 mm, 4 to 8mm, 8 to 16 mm and 16 to 32 mm, combined with 3 doses:25 , 50% and 75% by volume of coal) plus control (soil only), with 4 replications. Each experimental unit was composed by a pot with 8 L capacity, and the assay was arranged in a completely randomized design. It were determined the water retention in the soil, the plants height measured at 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 days after plants emergence, the fresh and dry mass of the root and plant shoot and the dimensions of the carrots at harvest. It has been observed that the best performance of the plants occurs in the combination of 50% (v/v) of coal with the fraction of 2 to 4 mm particle size. Plants at initial growth phases develop better in pure soil, however in the final growth phases shows superior performance in treatments containing charcoal.