Descalsota, John Paul M.

Performance Task #4
BS ChE 5B
Effect of particle size on high-pressure methane adsorption of coal
In this study, the particle size of the coal is being manipulated to determine its effect on the
high-pressure methane and low-pressure nitrogen gas adsorption. One of the properties of coal is its
ability to adsorb hydrocarbon gases due to the presence of pores and fractures. According to the
Encyclopedia of Mineral and Energy Policy, adsorption is an occurrence in which gas molecules are
arranged and aligned in a layer along the internal surface of the micropores which is influenced by
pressure. For example, after coalification, the methane gas generated enters the micropores where it
migrates and diffuses through one pore to the other where the adsorption occurs (Dhatta, 2016) .
Furthermore, the adsorption capacity of coal can be highly attributed due to its particle size.
The study was prepared by crushing and sieving the coal sample into different particle size
range. Then, for high-pressure methane adsorption, an experimental set-up was prepared where it is
connected to a computer to provide the recorded data such as sample cell volume, pressure,
temperature and gas compressibility factor. Using the Langmuir equation, the data will be used to
calculate for the methane volume. On the other hand, for low-pressure nitrogen gas adsorption, an
apparatus was used to measure the adsorption pressure easily and was interpreted using Brunauer-
Emmet-Teller (BET) method and density functional theory (DFT) for surface area and pore size
distribution respectively [ CITATION Zou16 \l 13321 ]. In the end, the results confirmed other related
articles involving adsorption capacity and different coal particle size. It showed for both analysis that
the rate of adsorption increases with coal sample having smaller or decreasing particle size. The
reason for the particle size can be attributed to its surface area, pore volume, and pore size
distributions. By crushing the sample to have finer particle size, it creates a new set of particles
having larger surface area, greater pore volume and more pore size distributions
One way of advancing is to try another equation for the high-pressure adsorption of
methane. In another article, it was suggested that the adsorption behavior could be described in
three isotherm equations namely: extended three-parameter, Langmuir, and Toth. Among these
equations, the article indicated that Toth equation is to be used since it yielded the ideal values for
pore volume and adsorbed phase density [ CITATION Bae06 \l 13321 ]. Furthermore, another
suggestion is to test the adsorptive capacity of coal on carbon dioxide with the same set of particle
size used in the study and compare the results with the methane adsorption results [ CITATION Per11
\l 13321 ].
In conclusion, from this article, I learned that the adsorption of coal is related to the pore
structure of coal. Furthermore, the coal particle size can greatly influence the pore accessibility of
coal which includes the surface area, pore volume and pore size distribution properties.
References:
Datta D.R. (2016) Coal, Adsorption. In: Tiess G., Majumder T., Cameron P. (eds) Encyclopedia of
Mineral and Energy Policy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Bae, J.S., & Bhatia, S. (2006). High-Pressure Adsorption of Methane and Carbon Dioxide on Coal.
Energy Fuels, p. 2599.
Perrea, M. & Ranjith, P. (2011). Estimation of Gas Adsorption Capacity in Coal: A Review and an
Analytical Study. International Journal of Coal Preparation and Utilization, p. 25.
Zou., J. & Rezaee, R. (2016). Effect of particle size on high-pressure methane adsorption of coal.
Petroleum Research, pp. 53-58