Oxidation of coal and coal pyrite mechanisms and influence on surface characteristics. Technical progress report, May 31, 1995

The objective of this research is to develop a mechanistic understanding of the oxidation of coal and coal pyrite, and to correlate the intrinsic physical and chemical properties of these minerals, along with changes resulting from oxidation, with those surface properties that influence the behavior in physical cleaning processes. Work during the nineteenth quarter has concluded studies of the surface functional groups produced on coal by severe thermal and chemical oxidation, and on investigating the partition of metal ions between such strongly oxidized coal samples and aqueous solutions. This partitioning behavior was being followed to obtain further information on the chemistry of the coal surfaces after different oxidation treatments. Adsorption isotherms for the uptake of Cd{sup 2+} on coal oxidized by different methods were obtained, and these and the Cu{sup 2+} adsorption isotherms reported in the last report have been scrutinized, and interpreted more exhaustively. The apparent discrepancies noted in the last report for the analysis of surface functional groups have been investigated further. The adsorption behavior has been related to the surface chemistry of Upper Freeport coal oxidized by different methods