Demineralization of a bituminous coal by froth flotation before obtaining activated carbons Original Research Article

A Spanish bituminous coal has been demineralized by froth flotation. The effect of the particle size, solution pH, and the presence of electrolytes on the process yield has been investigated. The ash contents of the clean coal have been reduced by between 1.5–3 times with regard to the corresponding feed coal. Three activated carbon samples have been obtained by steam activation of the floated coal. These activated carbons have been texturally characterized by means of N2, CO2 and benzene adsorption. The results obtained with these three adsorptives are very similar, which indicates that the microporosity of the activated carbon samples is accessible to the molecules of the above compounds.