Methods and systems for treating carbonaceous materials

Abstract

A method for treating a carbonaceous material comprising heating a carbonaceous material to form a mixture of the carbonaceous material and a tar; cooling the mixture of the carbonaceous material and the tar; and coating a surface of the carbonaceous material with the tar to form a tar-coated carbonaceous material, and a system related thereto.

1 . A method for treating a carbonaceous material, comprising:
 heating, with electromagnetic energy in a heating region, a carbonaceous material to form a mixture of the carbonaceous material and a tar;   cooling, in a cooling region, the mixture of the carbonaceous material and the tar; and   coating a surface of the carbonaceous material with at least a portion of the tar to form a tar-coated carbonaceous material.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the carbonaceous material comprises coal. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein heating the carbonaceous material comprises heating with microwave energy in the heating region. 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a tar coating on a surface of the tar-coated carbonaceous material is substantially more hydrophobic than the surface of the carbonaceous material prior to being subjected to said method. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising removing ash from the tar-coated carbonaceous material using a liquid wash system, wherein a tar coating on the tar-coated carbonaceous material helps the liquid wash system to remove the ash. 
     
     
         11 . A system for treating a carbonaceous material, comprising:
 a heating region, wherein the heating region comprises an electromagnetic energy source configured to heat a carbonaceous material to form a mixture of the carbonaceous material and a tar; and   a cooling region downstream from the heating region, wherein the cooling region comprises a cooling source configured to cool the mixture of the carbonaceous material and the tar, and to help form a tar coating on a surface of the carbonaceous material with the tar to form a tar-coated carbonaceous material.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the carbonaceous material comprises coal. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the heating region is operative to heat the carbonaceous material to a temperature of from 300° C. to 500° C. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the electromagnetic energy source comprises a microwave energy source configured to output microwave energy to heat the carbonaceous material. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the carbonaceous material further comprises at least one additive. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the carbonaceous material further comprises additional tar, the additional tar being from an external source other than the carbonaceous material. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the additional tar is a biomass material. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the tar coating on a surface of the tar-coated carbonaceous material is substantially more hydrophobic than the surface of the carbonaceous material prior to being coated with the tar. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein carbonaceous material has a total ash content of 30% to 50%. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 11 , comprising an ash-removal region downstream of the cooling region, wherein the ash-removal region comprises a liquid wash system configured to remove ash. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the liquid wash system comprises a water wash system. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein a hydrophobic characteristic of the tar coating of the tar-coated carbonaceous material and a hydrophilic characteristic of the ash helps the water wash system to remove the ash. 
     
     
         23 . A system, comprising:
 a heating region configured to heat a carbonaceous material having ash and tar to form a mixture of the carbonaceous material and the tar;   a cooling region downstream from the heating region, wherein the cooling region is configured to cool the carbonaceous material, the ash, and the tar to help form a tar coating of the tar on a surface of the carbonaceous material to form a tar-coated carbonaceous material; and   an ash-removal region downstream of the cooling region, wherein the ash-removal region comprises a liquid wash system configured to remove the ash, and the tar coating helps the liquid wash system to remove the ash.   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the liquid wash system comprises a water wash system. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein a hydrophobic characteristic of the tar coating of the tar-coated carbonaceous material and a hydrophilic characteristic of the ash helps the water wash system to remove the ash. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the heating region comprises an electromagnetic energy source configured to apply an electromagnetic energy to heat the carbonaceous material having the ash and the tar. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the electromagnetic energy source comprises a microwave energy source configured to apply microwave energy to heat the carbonaceous material having the ash and the tar.