Characterization of sulfur compounds in supercritical coal extracts by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The organosulfur compounds (OSC) in the supercritical extracts obtained from flame coal (subA) and orthocoking coal (mvb) were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Supercritical fluid extraction was carried out with three different solvents, i.e., toluene, toluene/2-propanol and toluene/THF mixtures, at 360 °C and 10 MPa in an apparatus with continuous flow of solvent. The extraction yield was in the range of 11.4–39.9 wt.% depending on the type of solvent and coal. For flame coal, diphenyl sulfide and disulfide, thiophene, benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene and benzonaphtothiophene and their C1–C4 alkyl derivatives were detected, whereas for orthocoking coal only polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASH) containing two to five rings and their alkyl derivatives were found. Ligand exchange chromatography was applied to separate the PASH fraction.