Methods and systems for treating carbonaceous materials

Abstract

A method for treating a carbonaceous material including heating a carbonaceous material to move at least a portion of tar through the carbonaceous material toward a surface of the carbonaceous material to form a tar coating on the surface. The method also includes cooling the carbonaceous material and the tar coating on the surface to form a tar-coated carbonaceous material, wherein at least the portion of tar that forms the tar coating on the surface remains in contact with the carbonaceous material while the carbonaceous material is heated to form the tar coating and while the carbonaceous material and the tar coating are cooled to form the tar-coated carbonaceous material.

1 . A method for treating a carbonaceous material comprising:
 heating a carbonaceous material to move at least a portion of tar through the carbonaceous material toward a surface of the carbonaceous material to form a tar coating on the surface; and   cooling the carbonaceous material and the tar coating on the surface to form a tar-coated carbonaceous material, wherein at least the portion of tar that forms the tar coating on the surface remains in contact with the carbonaceous material while the carbonaceous material is heated to form the tar coating and while the carbonaceous material and the tar coating are cooled to form the tar-coated carbonaceous material.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the carbonaceous material comprises coal. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising heating the carbonaceous material to a temperature of from about 300 degrees Celsius to about 500 degrees Celsius using a heat source. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising heating the carbonaceous material by applying electromagnetic energy from an electromagnetic energy source and cooling the carbonaceous material and the tar coating on the surface by discontinuing application of heat from the electromagnetic energy source. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising adding additional tar to the carbonaceous material from an external source other than the carbonaceous material. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the additional tar is added to the carbonaceous material during the heating of the carbonaceous material. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein an outer surface of the tar-coated carbonaceous material is about 10 percent to about 80 percent more hydrophobic than the surface of the carbonaceous material prior to the heating step of the method. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the carbonaceous material has a total ash content of about 30 percent to about 50 percent. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising applying a liquid to the tar-coated carbonaceous material to cause ash to separate from the tar-coated carbonaceous material. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein a total ash content of the tar-coated carbonaceous material is less than about 30 percent after application of the liquid to the tar-coated carbonaceous material. 
     
     
         11 . A method for treating a carbonaceous material comprising:
 heating a carbonaceous material to move at least a portion of tar through the carbonaceous material toward a surface of the carbonaceous material to form a tar coating on the surface; and   cooling the carbonaceous material and the tar coating on the surface to form a tar-coated carbonaceous material, wherein an outer surface of the tar-coated carbonaceous material after the cooling is about 10 percent to about 80 percent more hydrophobic than the surface of the carbonaceous material prior to the heating.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the tar-coated carbonaceous material is formed without separating the portion of the tar that forms the tar coating from the carbonaceous material during the heating and the cooling. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the heating of the carbonaceous material comprises applying electromagnetic energy using an electromagnetic energy source. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , comprising adding additional tar to the carbonaceous material from an external source other than the carbonaceous material during the heating of the carbonaceous material. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , comprising applying a liquid to the tar-coated carbonaceous material to cause ash to separate from the tar-coated carbonaceous material, wherein a total ash content of the tar-coated carbonaceous material is less than about 30 percent after applying the liquid to the tar-coated carbonaceous material. 
     
     
         16 . A method for treating a carbonaceous material comprising:
 heating a carbonaceous material with an electromagnetic energy source within a heating region of a carbonaceous material treatment system to move at least a portion of tar through the carbonaceous material toward a surface of the carbonaceous material to form a tar coating on the surface; and   transporting the carbonaceous material from the heating region to a cooling region of the carbonaceous material treatment system, wherein the cooling region is separate from and downstream of the heating region and is not subjected to heat from the heat source of the heating region, thereby enabling the carbonaceous material and the tar coating on the surface to cool and to form a tar-coated carbonaceous material.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , comprising:
 transporting the tar-coated carbonaceous material from the cooling region to an ash-removal region of the carbonaceous material treatment system, wherein the ash-removal region is separate from and downstream of the heating region and the cooling region; and   washing the tar-coated carbonaceous material with a liquid in the ash-removal region to cause ash to separate from the tar-coated carbonaceous material.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein an outer surface of the tar-coated carbonaceous material is about 10 percent to about 80 percent more hydrophobic than the surface of the carbonaceous material prior to the heating step of the method. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein a total ash content of the tar-coated carbonaceous material is less than about 30 percent after applying the liquid to the tar-coated carbonaceous material. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein at least the portion of tar that forms the tar coating on the surface remains in contact with the carbonaceous material while the carbonaceous material is heated to form the tar coating and while the carbonaceous material and the tar coating are cooled to form the tar-coated carbonaceous material.