Mechanistic study of ultrasound-assisted solvent leaching of sodium and potassium from an Indian coal using continuous and pulsed modes of operation

Unburnt coal in a boiler gets converted to fly ash and bottom ash. Fly ash particles travel along with flue gas and get deposited on heat transfer surfaces along the way. Fouling and slagging are phenomena associated with fly ash deposits which could potentially damage the heat transfer surface, if left unattended. Sodium and potassium are directly linked to the deposition of fly ash, as they form a molten salt film which aids in sticking of fly ash particles. Ultrasound is one of the mitigation techniques used to prevent ash deposition. This study aims at reducing the concentrations of alkali metals in coal as a pretreatment method, using ultrasound. Two modes of operation are chosen: continuous and pulsed. A solvent has been used to enhance the leaching process. In the pulsed mode, the sample is alternated between periods of exposure and nonexposure. A maximum leaching rate of 62% for potassium and 24.5% for sodium was observed in the continuous mode at 360 kHz of operation while pulsed mode of operation showed a maximum leaching rate of 91.3% and 54.4% for potassium and sodium operated at 360 kHz, respectively. The experimental data have been fit to the shrinking core model, and the rate-controlling step has been found to be surface diffusion of reactants into the core. The effect of various parameters is analyzed and compared for pulsed and continuous modes of operation. Order of the reaction, activation energy, and leaching kinetics are obtained by fitting the data into the shrinking core model.