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Science: Energy: Fossil Fuel
solar energy removes sulfur from coal   (+2, -1)  [vote for, against]
solar energy warms up the coal to the liquefaction temperature of sulfur, then the evaporating sulfur is crystallized on plates

Coal often contains sulfur. Removing sulfur from coal without using water is beneficial.

I think that thermal solar (like mirror arrays) could warm the coal to the liquefaction temperature of sulfur, or even the gaseous temperature. Then the sulfur vapor would rise, then crystllize on plates.

Now I read that aerodromes actually produce their own weather, some producing clouds and even water rain! So if you do this solar coal thing at a really big building (or a massive earthwork, possibly) then the hot sulfur gas will recoalesce then predictably rain at certain areas, which creates a self sustaining system to remove the sulfur as a stream from the solar warmed coal.

There is the possibility that there is an optimal temperature where the coal will remain desulfurated coal, rather than turning to coke, which could also be beneficial
-- beanangel, Dec 15 2016

THE CHEMISTRY OF SULFUR IN COAL - A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE William H. Calkins (pdf) https://web.anl.gov...Volumes/Vol38-2.pdf
"It is well known that high sulfur coal usually contains both mineral sulfur which is largely pyrite, but can also include other metal sulfides and sulfates, and in some cases small amounts of elemental sulfur" [Loris, Dec 16 2016, last modified Dec 17 2016]

Coal is black. https://www.youtube...watch?v=89yEQ-HsEFM
Coal is old. [popbottle, Dec 17 2016]

The fact that that elemental sulfur would be a liquid makes it no less evenly distributed in the mesh of carbon.
-- WcW, Dec 15 2016


I always thought the sulphur was bonded to the rest of the coal chemically. Is it not then?
-- nineteenthly, Dec 16 2016


Double bonded no less.
-- WcW, Dec 16 2016


"It melts at 115.21 °C (239.38 °F), boils at 444.6 °C (832.3 °F) and sublimes easily. " Wikipedia article on sulfur.

So your not talking flat plate collectors, but some sort of concentrating solar collector to get that over water boiling temperature for a continuous process. Any idea how hot the coal needs to be ? Is it like coking where the product glows red or something less extreme ?
-- popbottle, Dec 16 2016


This is just wrong. The sulphur in coal is not (for the most part) elemental sulphur; rather it is sulphides, sulphates and whatnot. [Loris] pointed this out in her link.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 16 2016


Still if you can do anything useful with sunlight and coal, coal is black...

And coal can be easily shaped. ( The Chinese use a star shaped lump of coal in specially designed furnaces to heat their homes according to a video I saw.)

That means you can get rid of the copper plates with a black finish and the whole heat transfer mishmash, And shine your ever loving sunlight right on the coal.

And if a Star of David shaped chunk of coal is needed to be the focus of six massive mirrors, it can be done by Thursday.

If solar energy can't extract sulfur, there must be something it can do. Dry it out, make it a gas, road tar, etc. Use low sulfur powdered coal, if need be.
-- popbottle, Dec 16 2016


// [Loris] pointed this out in her link.//

Point of fact : Loris is male.
-- Loris, Dec 17 2016


Well, that's strange.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 17 2016



random, halfbakery