A Critical Assessment of Industrial Coal Drying Technologies: Role of Energy, Emissions, Risk and Sustainability

Low-rank coals (LRCs) constitute about 45% of the total coal reserves and hence will soon be the fossil fuel of choice in many countries despite their high moisture content on mining, which varies from 30% to as high as 66%. It is important to reduce their water content to enhance the heating value and reduce transportation costs while enhancing combustion efficiency, safety, and reduction of emissions on combustion. The level of moisture to be achieved upon drying LRCs depends on the end application; it varies from as low as 0% for hydrogenation processes to 15% for briquetting and gasification processes. Numerous drying technologies have been proposed for drying coal; they include pulse combustion, vacuum, fluid bed, rotary, flash, microwave, and superheated steam drying. Each technology has some pros and cons, which are not always clearly spelled out in the literature. In addition, it is necessary to develop sustainable rather than just cost-effective drying systems for LRC. In this article we assess various coal drying techniques critically and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Some theoretical comparisons of different dryer types are carried out based on energy utilization and carbon footprints. The jury is still out on optimal drying technology for LRC and innovative design concepts should be evaluated before finalizing the selection.