Optimasi penggunaan Garam Kasar dengan Magnesium Oksida & Air Laut dengan Magnesium Oksida Terhadap Proses Desulfurisasi Batubara

Desulfurisasi Batubara

Abstract

Coal desulfurization is an important approach to reducing sulfur content before combustion and minimizing the potential formation of sulfur dioxide (SO₂). This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of coarse salt–magnesium oxide (MgO) and seawater–MgO combinations in reducing sulfur content in coal and to determine the mixing ratio that provided the highest sulfur reduction. The experiments were conducted using a wet mixing method with a coal particle size of 0.250 mm, coal mass of 5 g, temperature of 60 °C, and mixing time of 2 h. The media-to-MgO ratios were varied at 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:1, and 3:1. Sulfur content before and after treatment was analyzed using a LECO S832 Sulfur Analyzer according to ASTM D4239 at 1350 °C. The results showed that the coarse salt–MgO combination achieved the highest sulfur reduction of 22.67% at a ratio of 3:1, while the seawater–MgO combination achieved the highest reduction of 14.87% at a ratio of 3:1. Under the experimental conditions, coarse salt–MgO produced a higher sulfur reduction than seawater–MgO. These results indicate the potential of coarse salt–MgO as a pretreatment for coal desulfurization. However, sulfur speciation, reaction-product characterization, direct SO₂ emission measurements, and industrial-scale testing were not conducted. Further research is therefore required to investigate the sulfur removal mechanism, optimize operating conditions, and evaluate the scale-up feasibility and economic aspects of the process.