Enhanced oxidative reactivity for anthracite coal via a reactive ball milling pretreatment step

Reactive ball milling in a cyclohexene solvent significantly increases the oxidative reactivity of an anthracite coal, due to the combined effects of particle size reduction, metal introduction, introduction of volatile matter, and changes in carbon structure. Metals introduced during milling can be easily removed via a subsequent demineralization process, and the increased reactivity is retained. Solvent addition alters the morphological changes that occur during pyrolysis and leads to a char with significantly increased reactivity. When the solvent is omitted, similar effects are seen for the milled product, but a significant fraction of the char is resistant to oxidation.