Vacuum and atmospheric pressure TGA on an eastern Canadian coal

Coal from the Prince Colliery, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, was pyrolysed at atmospheric pressure and under vacuum at temperatures to 900 °C in a TGA apparatus. The resultant chars were then combusted in air in the same apparatus. For both vacuum and atmospheric pressure pyrolysis, chars made at temperatures under 700 °C exhibited a double-burn behaviour during combustion. Chars that were made by pyrolysis above 700 °C did not exhibit this behaviour. For the same degree of devolatilization, chars derived under vacuum exhibited lower burn temperatures than chars obtained at atmospheric pressure, and from this limited point of view may be said to be the better fuel.