Direct measurement of organic sulphur in coal

✍ Scribed by K.C. Hsieh; Charles A. Wert

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1985
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 954 KB
• Volume: 64
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0016-2361
• DOI: 10.1016/0016-2361(85)90226-1

✦ Synopsis

A method of direct determination of the organic sulphur content of coal has been developed using the transmission electron microscope. An electron beam isfocussed on a thinned section of coal and X-rays emitted from the elements in the volume irradiated by the electrons are measured by X-ray emission spectroscopic methods. Both the characteristic K, line of sulphur and the bremsstrahlung from the material in the irradiated volume are detected by a solid-state detector. An analytical method has been developed which uses these two measurements for a direct determination of the organic sulphur concentration. Minerals can easily be avoided since they are plainly seen by conventional electron microscope techniques. Several measurements of the organic sulphur concentration in coals have been made; they agree with the conventional chemical values reported for these coals. Of most importance, though, is the use of this technique to detect spatial variations of sulphur over small distances within the coal maceral.