U.S. patent application number 15/004513 was filed with the patent office on 2016-05-19 for methods and systems for treating carbonaceous materials.
The applicant listed for this patent is General Electric Company. Invention is credited to Richard Anthony DePuy, Sudharsanam Krishnamachari, Annavarapu Vijay Bharat Sastri, Vijayalakshmi Shah, Ankur Verma.
Application Number | 20160137941 15/004513 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51297616 |
Filed Date | 2016-05-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160137941 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sastri; Annavarapu Vijay Bharat ;
et al. |
May 19, 2016 |
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
Abstract
A method for treating a carbonaceous material including heating
a carbonaceous material to move at least a portion of tar through
the carbonaceous material toward a surface of the carbonaceous
material to form a tar coating on the surface. The method also
includes cooling the carbonaceous material and the tar coating on
the surface to form a tar-coated carbonaceous material, wherein at
least the portion of tar that forms the tar coating on the surface
remains in contact with the carbonaceous material while the
carbonaceous material is heated to form the tar coating and while
the carbonaceous material and the tar coating are cooled to form
the tar-coated carbonaceous material.
Inventors: |
Sastri; Annavarapu Vijay
Bharat; (Bangalore, IN) ; DePuy; Richard Anthony;
(Burnt Hills, NY) ; Krishnamachari; Sudharsanam;
(Bangalore, IN) ; Shah; Vijayalakshmi; (Bangalore,
IN) ; Verma; Ankur; (Bangalore, IN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
General Electric Company |
Schenectady |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51297616 |
Appl. No.: |
15/004513 |
Filed: |
January 22, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13764769 |
Feb 11, 2013 |
|
|
|
15004513 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
44/627 ;
44/620 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C10L 5/32 20130101; C10L
2290/20 20130101; C10L 2290/36 20130101; C10L 2290/06 20130101;
C10L 2290/545 20130101; C10L 5/00 20130101; C10L 2290/28 20130101;
C10L 5/04 20130101 |
International
Class: |
C10L 5/04 20060101
C10L005/04 |
Claims
1. A method for treating a carbonaceous material comprising:
heating a carbonaceous material to move at least a portion of tar
through the carbonaceous material toward a surface of the
carbonaceous material to form a tar coating on the surface; and
cooling the carbonaceous material and the tar coating on the
surface to form a tar-coated carbonaceous material, wherein at
least the portion of tar that forms the tar coating on the surface
remains in contact with the carbonaceous material while the
carbonaceous material is heated to form the tar coating and while
the carbonaceous material and the tar coating are cooled to form
the tar-coated carbonaceous material.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbonaceous material
comprises coal.
3. The method of claim 1, comprising heating the carbonaceous
material to a temperature of from about 300 degrees Celsius to
about 500 degrees Celsius using a heat source.
4. The method of claim 1, comprising heating the carbonaceous
material by applying electromagnetic energy from an electromagnetic
energy source and cooling the carbonaceous material and the tar
coating on the surface by discontinuing application of heat from
the electromagnetic energy source.
5. The method of claim 1, comprising adding additional tar to the
carbonaceous material from an external source other than the
carbonaceous material.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the additional tar is added to
the carbonaceous material during the heating of the carbonaceous
material.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the
tar-coated carbonaceous material is about 10 percent to about 80
percent more hydrophobic than the surface of the carbonaceous
material prior to the heating step of the method.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbonaceous material has a
total ash content of about 30 percent to about 50 percent.
9. The method of claim 1, comprising applying a liquid to the
tar-coated carbonaceous material to cause ash to separate from the
tar-coated carbonaceous material.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein a total ash content of the
tar-coated carbonaceous material is less than about 30 percent
after application of the liquid to the tar-coated carbonaceous
material.
11. A method for treating a carbonaceous material comprising:
heating a carbonaceous material to move at least a portion of tar
through the carbonaceous material toward a surface of the
carbonaceous material to form a tar coating on the surface; and
cooling the carbonaceous material and the tar coating on the
surface to form a tar-coated carbonaceous material, wherein an
outer surface of the tar-coated carbonaceous material after the
cooling is about 10 percent to about 80 percent more hydrophobic
than the surface of the carbonaceous material prior to the
heating.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the tar-coated carbonaceous
material is formed without separating the portion of the tar that
forms the tar coating from the carbonaceous material during the
heating and the cooling.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the heating of the carbonaceous
material comprises applying electromagnetic energy using an
electromagnetic energy source.
14. The method of claim 11, comprising adding additional tar to the
carbonaceous material from an external source other than the
carbonaceous material during the heating of the carbonaceous
material.
15. The method of claim 11, comprising applying a liquid to the
tar-coated carbonaceous material to cause ash to separate from the
tar-coated carbonaceous material, wherein a total ash content of
the tar-coated carbonaceous material is less than about 30 percent
after applying the liquid to the tar-coated carbonaceous
material.
16. A method for treating a carbonaceous material comprising:
heating a carbonaceous material with an electromagnetic energy
source within a heating region of a carbonaceous material treatment
system to move at least a portion of tar through the carbonaceous
material toward a surface of the carbonaceous material to form a
tar coating on the surface; and transporting the carbonaceous
material from the heating region to a cooling region of the
carbonaceous material treatment system, wherein the cooling region
is separate from and downstream of the heating region and is not
subjected to heat from the heat source of the heating region,
thereby enabling the carbonaceous material and the tar coating on
the surface to cool and to form a tar-coated carbonaceous
material.
17. The method of claim 16, comprising: transporting the tar-coated
carbonaceous material from the cooling region to an ash-removal
region of the carbonaceous material treatment system, wherein the
ash-removal region is separate from and downstream of the heating
region and the cooling region; and washing the tar-coated
carbonaceous material with a liquid in the ash-removal region to
cause ash to separate from the tar-coated carbonaceous
material.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein an outer surface of the
tar-coated carbonaceous material is about 10 percent to about 80
percent more hydrophobic than the surface of the carbonaceous
material prior to the heating step of the method.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein a total ash content of the
tar-coated carbonaceous material is less than about 30 percent
after applying the liquid to the tar-coated carbonaceous
material.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein at least the portion of tar
that forms the tar coating on the surface remains in contact with
the carbonaceous material while the carbonaceous material is heated
to form the tar coating and while the carbonaceous material and the
tar coating are cooled to form the tar-coated carbonaceous
material.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 13/764,769, entitled "METHODS AND
SYSTEMS FOR TREATING CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS," filed Feb. 11, 2013,
which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to methods for
treating carbonaceous materials, and more particularly to methods
for treating carbonaceous materials which improve the removal of
ash from carbonaceous materials, and systems related thereto.
[0003] Different technologies are used to generate energy from
organic or fossil-based carbonaceous materials such as coal.
Different types of coal, such as lignite, or brown coal,
subbituminous coal, bituminous coal, or black coal, anthracite
and/or graphite, are utilized in energy producing systems. These
different types of coal are categorized, or ranked, according to
their particular physical properties, e.g., "low-rank coal" and
"high-rank coal".
[0004] Varying amounts of ash are present in naturally occurring
carbonaceous materials such as coal. Ash is the non-combustible
residue of mineral matter present in the carbonaceous material.
Some coal materials have an ash content of greater than 20%, or
even greater than 50%. The greater the ash content of the raw coal
material, the lower amount of coal that will be available for
energy production. High ash contents are also generally undesirable
because of the potential for contamination of the equipment used in
the energy production due to impurities present in the ash.
[0005] Carbonaceous materials such as coal are therefore subjected
to an ash removal treatment on. Ash is separated from coal based
upon differences between the inherent surface properties of the
ash, which is hydrophilic, i.e., attracts water, and the coal,
which is hydrophobic, i.e. repels water. Coal washing and/or
flotation columns, for example, are used to separate the ash from
the coal by taking advantage of the hydrophilic nature of the
surface of the ash and the hydrophobic nature of the surface of the
coal. Therefore, the amount of ash which is removed from coal using
an ash-removal treatment is limited by the extent of these inherent
surface properties.
[0006] Consequently, the ash content of coal materials which have a
significant amount of ash cannot be sufficiently lowered using an
ash removal treatment without the use of one or more additives.
Various additives are employed in order to enhance the separation
of the hydrophobic coal from the hydrophilic ash in order to
provide a coal material with suitably low ash content for use in
energy production. Such additives represent a significant cost in
materials and/or process efficiency.
[0007] It is therefore desirable to provide a method for treating
carbonaceous materials in order to improve the removal of ash from
carbonaceous materials, and systems related thereto, which solve
one or more of the aforementioned problems.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] According to one aspect of the invention, a method for
treating a carbonaceous material comprises heating a carbonaceous
material to form a mixture of the carbonaceous material and a tar;
cooling the mixture of the carbonaceous material and the tar, and
coating a surface of the carbonaceous material with the tar to form
a tar-coated carbonaceous material.
[0009] According to another aspect of the invention, a system for
treating a carbonaceous material comprises a heating region, the
heating region being operative to heat a carbonaceous material to
form a mixture of the carbonaceous material and a tar; a cooling
region, the cooling region being operative to cool the mixture of
the carbonaceous material and the tar and to coat a surface of the
carbonaceous material with the tar to form a tar-coated
carbonaceous material.
[0010] These and other advantages and features will become more
apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with
the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is
particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at
the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other
features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block flow diagram of a method for treating a
carbonaceous material; and
[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system for treating a
carbonaceous material.
[0014] The detailed description explains embodiments of the
invention, together with advantages and features, by way of example
with reference to the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Embodiments described herein generally relate to methods for
treating a carbonaceous material and systems related thereto. A
method for treating a carbonaceous material is provided to modify
the surface of the carbonaceous material in order to improve the
separation of ash from the carbonaceous material.
[0016] Referring to FIG. 1, the method for treating a carbonaceous
material comprises heating a carbonaceous material. Upon heating, a
tar is released from the carbonaceous material to form a mixture of
the carbonaceous material and the tar. The method further comprises
cooling the mixture of the carbonaceous material and the tar. Upon
cooling, at least a portion of the tar released from the
carbonaceous material coats at least a portion of a surface of the
carbonaceous material to form a tar-coated carbonaceous
material.
[0017] The carbonaceous material is any carbon-rich and/or
hydrocarbon-based material. In one embodiment, the carbonaceous
material comprises coal. In another embodiment, the carbonaceous
material comprises low-rank coal, high-rank coal, or a combination
comprising at least one of the foregoing. In yet another
embodiment, the carbonaceous material comprises lignite, or brown
coal, subbituminous coal, bituminous coal, or black coal,
anthracite, graphite or a combination comprising at least one of
the foregoing.
[0018] In one embodiment, the carbonaceous material comprises
crushed coal. The coal is crushed using any appropriate crushing
method and/or equipment, such as for example, a coal crusher, a
coal shredder and/or a coal grinder. The coal is ground, crushed
and/or shredded into smaller particles prior to heating.
[0019] The carbonaceous material comprises varying amounts of ash,
including for example, high ash, e.g., greater than about 30% total
ash content, and low ash, e.g., less than about 30% total ash
content. In one embodiment, the carbonaceous material has a total
ash content of about 10% to about 80% prior to heating. In another
embodiment the carbonaceous material has a total ash content of
about 10% to about 50% prior to heating. In yet another embodiment,
the carbonaceous material has a total ash content of about 30% to
about 50% prior to heating.
[0020] The carbonaceous material is heated as a solid or a suitable
solvent is mixed with the carbonaceous material to form a solution
or a wet slurry. In one embodiment, the carbonaceous material is
heated in a solid phase and/or in a dry state. In another
embodiment, the carbonaceous material is mixed with water or
another suitable solvent to form a solution or a wet slurry prior
to heating.
[0021] The carbonaceous material is heated at a pressure which is
sufficient to release a tar, or oil, from within the carbonaceous
material. The tar, or oil, is an organic material which is derived
from the carbonaceous material. In one embodiment, the heating of
the carbonaceous material is carried out at a pressure of less than
about 5 atmospheres. In another embodiment, the heating of the
carbonaceous material is carried out at a pressure of from about 1
to about 5 atmospheres.
[0022] The carbonaceous material is heated to a temperature
effective to release tar, or oil, from the carbonaceous material.
In one embodiment, the carbonaceous material is heated to a
temperature of from about 300.degree. C. to about 500.degree. C. In
another embodiment, the carbonaceous material is heated to a
temperature of from about 350.degree. C. to about 450.degree. C. In
yet another embodiment, the carbonaceous material is heated to a
temperature of from about 375.degree. C. to about 425.degree.
C.
[0023] At temperatures lower than about 300.degree. C., an
insufficient amount of tar is released from the carbonaceous
material and/or the tar released will be less complex in
composition, and therefore less hydrophobic than tar released at a
temperature of greater than 300.degree. C. and less than
500.degree. C. At temperatures higher than about 500.degree. C.,
the tar released from the carbonaceous material will not adequately
coat the carbonaceous material or at least a portion of the
carbonaceous material, e.g., reaction of the tar is promoted above
these temperatures.
[0024] The heating of the carbonaceous material is accomplished
using any suitable heating method and/or heat source. Examples of
suitable heating methods and/or heat sources include pyrolysis,
flash pyrolysis, partial oxidation, microwave energy, other
conventional heating methods and/or heat sources or a combination
comprising at least one of the foregoing.
[0025] In one embodiment, the heating of the carbonaceous material
is accomplished using microwave energy. The microwave energy used
to heat the carbonaceous material is supplied by a microwave energy
generation device, such as a magnetron in a microwave oven. Wave
energy generated by the magnetron is transferred to the
carbonaceous material using for example, a wave guide or a wave
tube.
[0026] The amount of microwave energy and the frequency of the
microwave energy are selected to release the tar from the
carbonaceous material at a desired temperature. In one embodiment,
the microwave energy may be generated in a range of from about 100
kilo Watt per pound (kW/lb) to about 1,000 kilo Watt per pound (kW
of power per lb of carbonaceous material). In another embodiment,
the frequency of the microwave energy generated is about 800 MHz or
about 2.45 GHz. The heating of the carbonaceous material is carried
out in the presence or absence of a resonator.
[0027] Microwave energy is transferred through the carbonaceous
material electro-magnetically, not as a convective force or a
radiative force. Therefore, the rate of heating is not limited by
surface transfer, and the uniformity of heat distribution is
greatly improved. Heating times can be reduced to less than 1% of
that required using other heating techniques. In one embodiment,
the heating of the carbonaceous material with microwaves is
precisely controlled with respect to the amount of heat applied,
such that a precise temperature may be maintained at all times. In
other words, substantially all portions of the carbonaceous
material are exposed to the same temperature. For example,
particles of the carbonaceous material form aggregates, or "lumps".
The center of each "lump" of carbonaceous material is at the same
temperature as the surface of that lump. Thus, the tar released
from the carbonaceous material, under the effect of the heat
generated by microwaves, is not subjected to any temperatures
higher than that which is needed to release the tar. In addition,
since the uniformity of heat distribution is improved due to the
generation of the microwave energy, the tar is released from the
carbonaceous material more uniformly.
[0028] The carbonaceous material is heated in the presence or
absence of additives, such as additional tar, which increase the
hydrophobicity of the carbonaceous material or otherwise enhance
the separation of carbonaceous material from ash. In one
embodiment, the mixture of carbonaceous material and the tar is
devoid of tar from any source external to the carbonaceous
material, i.e., not already present within the carbonaceous
material prior to heating or which is not derived from the
particular carbonaceous material used in the method upon heating.
In this embodiment, the only tar present in the mixture of the
carbonaceous material and the tar is the tar that was released from
the carbonaceous material upon heating.
[0029] In another embodiment, additional tar from an external
source other than the carbonaceous material is added to the
carbonaceous material prior to heating and/or to the mixture of the
carbonaceous material and the tar formed during and/or after
heating the carbonaceous material. In another embodiment, the
additional tar is derived from a carbonaceous material and/or is a
biomass material.
[0030] The mixture of the carbonaceous material and the tar is
cooled by removing, discontinuing or lowering the heat temperature
from the heat source described above and/or by transporting the
mixture of carbonaceous material and the tar to a region which is
not subjected to such heat from said heat source. In one
embodiment, the mixture of the carbonaceous material and the tar is
cooled to a temperature of between about 0.degree. C. and about
300.degree. C. In another embodiment, the mixture of the
carbonaceous material and the tar is cooled to a temperature of
between about 0.degree. C. and about 200.degree. C. In yet another
embodiment, the mixture of the carbonaceous material and the tar is
cooled to a temperature of between about 0.degree. C. and about
100.degree. C. In one embodiment, the cooling of the mixture of the
carbonaceous material and the tar directly follows the heating of
the carbonaceous material.
[0031] Upon cooling of the mixture of the carbonaceous material and
the tar, at least a portion of a surface of the carbonaceous
material is coated with at least a portion of the tar. The tar
released from the carbonaceous material is hydrophobic in nature.
The resulting tar-coated carbonaceous material is thus a
surface-modified carbonaceous material. The coated tar increases
the number of hydrophobic functional groups on the surface of the
carbonaceous material, thereby increasing the overall
hydrophobicity of the surface of the carbonaceous material. The
increased hydrophobicity of the surface of the carbonaceous
material improves the separation of the hydrophobic tar-coated
carbonaceous material from the hydrophilic ash in a subsequent ash
removal process.
[0032] In one embodiment, a surface of the tar-coated carbonaceous
material is about 10% to about 80% more hydrophobic than the
surface of the carbonaceous material prior to being subjected to
said heating, cooling and coating. In another embodiment, a surface
of the tar-coated carbonaceous material is about 20% to about 80%
more hydrophobic than the surface of the carbonaceous material
prior to being subjected to said heating, cooling and coating. In
yet another embodiment, a surface of the tar-coated carbonaceous
material is about 30% to about 80% more hydrophobic than the
surface of the carbonaceous material prior to being subjected to
said heating, cooling and coating.
[0033] In another embodiment, the carbonaceous material is
partially coated with the tar released from the carbonaceous
material. In yet another embodiment, the carbonaceous material is
uniformly coated with the tar released from the carbonaceous
material. In still another embodiment, the carbonaceous material is
heated using microwave energy and is uniformly coated with the tar
released from the carbonaceous material. In still yet another
embodiment, the carbonaceous material is crushed coal which is
heated using microwave energy and uniformly coated with the tar
released from the carbonaceous material.
[0034] The tar-coated carbonaceous material is subsequently
subjected to at least one ash removal process with or without the
use of additives to enhance the separation of the tar-coated
carbonaceous material from the ash. In one embodiment, the
tar-coated carbonaceous material is devoid of any additive to
enhance the separation of the carbonaceous material from the ash.
In another embodiment, the tar-coated carbonaceous material further
comprises at least one additive to enhance the separation of the
tar-coated carbonaceous material from the ash.
[0035] Referring back to FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the method
further comprises removing ash from at least a portion of the
tar-coated carbonaceous material. The tar-coated carbonaceous
material is subjected to any ash removal process suitable to
separate the tar-coated carbonaceous material from the ash mixed
therewith on the basis of the differences between hydrophobic and
hydrophilic surface properties. In one embodiment, removing ash
from the tar-coated carbonaceous material is accomplished by a
hydro-treatment. The hydro-treatment involves washing the
tar-coated carbonaceous material with water or another suitable
solvent, for example in a separation or flotation column. As the
tar-coated carbonaceous material is washed, e.g., with water, the
hydrophobic tar-coated carbonaceous material is separated from the
hydrophilic ash mixed therewith.
[0036] The method described herein allows for greater removal of
ash from a carbonaceous material when compared to a carbonaceous
material which is not subjected to said method. In one embodiment,
the tar-coated carbonaceous material is subjected to a
hydro-treatment to remove ash in which a total ash content of the
tar-coated carbonaceous material is reduced to about 0% to about
50%. In another embodiment, the tar-coated carbonaceous material is
subjected to a hydro-treatment to remove ash in which a total ash
content of the tar-coated carbonaceous material is reduced to about
30% to about 50%. In yet another embodiment, the tar-coated
carbonaceous material is subjected to a hydro-treatment to remove
ash in which a total ash content of the tar-coated carbonaceous
material is reduced to about 0% to about 30%. In still another
embodiment, the tar-coated carbonaceous material is subjected to a
hydro-treatment to remove ash in which a total ash content of the
tar-coated carbonaceous material is reduced to about 5% to about
20%. In still yet another embodiment, the tar-coated carbonaceous
material is subjected to a hydro-treatment to remove ash in which a
total ash content of the tar-coated carbonaceous material is
reduced to about 15% or less.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 2, a system for treating a carbonaceous
material is provided. A system 10 for treating a carbonaceous
material comprises a heating region 20, the heating region 20 being
operative to heat a carbonaceous material (not shown) to form a
mixture of the carbonaceous material and a tar; and a cooling
region 30, the cooling region 30 being operative to cool the
mixture of the carbonaceous material and the tar and to coat at
least a portion of a surface of the carbonaceous material with at
least a portion of the tar to form tar-coated carbonaceous
material. The cooling region 30 is disposed downstream of the
heating region 20.
[0038] In one embodiment, the system 10 further comprises a
carbonaceous material processing column 40 which contains the
carbonaceous material and a transport system 50 which transports
the carbonaceous material to the heating region 20 and from the
heating region 20 to the cooling region 30. In another embodiment,
the transport system 50 is a conveyor belt.
[0039] In one embodiment, the system 10 further comprises a heating
unit 60, which supplies heat to the heating region 20. In one
embodiment, the heating unit 60 controls the heat supplied to the
heating region 20. In another embodiment, the system 10 further
comprises an optional collecting region 70. The collecting region
70 collects the tar-coated carbonaceous material subsequent to the
heating, cooling and coating of the carbonaceous material in the
heating region 20 and cooling region 30, respectively. The
collecting region 70 is disposed downstream of the heating region
20 and the cooling region 30.
[0040] In one embodiment, the system 10 further comprises a
feedback loop 80. The feedback loop 80 senses the temperature in
the heating region 20 and supplies this information to the heating
unit 60. The heating unit 60 uses information from the feedback
loop 80 to regulate the temperature in the heating region 20.
[0041] In one embodiment, the system 10 further comprises an ash
removal region 90 in which ash is removed or separated from the
tar-coated carbonaceous material. The ash removal region 90 is
disposed downstream of the heating region 20 and the cooling region
30, as well as the optional collecting region 70.
[0042] In one embodiment, the system 10 further comprises
additional equipment including, but not limited to, feed hoppers,
crushers, grinders, mixers, conical separators, control units,
cooling units, collection units, transport devices, shredders,
heaters, screw feeders and/or other related equipment.
[0043] The methods and systems described herein pre-treat the
carbonaceous material using tar released or derived from the
carbonaceous material itself to partially or uniformly coat the
carbonaceous material. The resulting surface-modified, tar-coated
carbonaceous material has an increased overall hydrophobicity,
which improves the separation of ash from carbonaceous materials
which have undesirably high ash contents in an ash removal process.
The methods and systems described herein thereby make such
ash-containing carbonaceous materials suitable for subsequent use
in a process which uses low ash coal, e.g., to generate energy. In
this manner, the methods and systems provided herein allow for the
use of relatively high-ash containing carbonaceous materials which
would otherwise be rendered unsuitable due to their high ash
content. The methods and systems described herein are also used to
treat carbonaceous materials with or without the use of additional
tar from an external source other than the carbonaceous material
and/or with or without the use of other additives.
[0044] While the invention has been described in detail in
connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be
readily understood that the invention is not limited to such
disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to
incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or
equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are
commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention.
Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been
described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may
include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the
invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing
description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended
claims.
* * * * *