Avaliação de ligantes para formulação de briquetes de finos de carvão mineral

Abstract

Recent studies on the recovery of coal fines for industrial use show that viable and cheaper alternatives exist for processing and utilizing coal fines in Brazil. Countries like the United States, Japan, and the European Economic Community have long used briquetting of coal fines, as coal is non-renewable and its extraction generates a large percentage of fines. Thus, briquettes made from lower-grade coals, despite their low calorific value, are used over time as fuel in industrial facilities, small businesses, and homes, providing satisfactory results. Among the processes for agglomerating fines, briquetting and pelletizing are the most widely used to obtain a product with better marketability. Various binders for the production of coal fine briquettes have been and continue to be tested in the search for a better cost-benefit ratio. This is due to the fact that not all types of binder can be used for combustion in homes or commercial establishments because of the risks of poisoning or contamination during combustion along with fine coal. The fine coal mixture used for coking at Gerdau Ouro Branco was used to test briquettes with several binders, including: sugarcane molasses and sodium silicate, both tested with contents of 5% and 7% respectively, and 5% moisture in all mixtures. To obtain a briquette with a better composition, tested and suitable, with better quality in terms of compaction, drop resistance and water absorption tests, the tests of briquettes made from fine coal aim to become an alternative for densifying fines to increase the load in coking ovens.

Keywords: Coal, briquette, fuel