Pilot scale tar production from Morupule coal dust through flash pyrolysis

Abstract: The fourth industrial revolution promotes green and cleaner processes, pyrolysis being one of the strategies for waste utilization. In Palapye, Botswana, dust produced in the process of mining, beneficiation and utilization of coal at Morupule Mine and Power Plants causes serious health hazards to the employees, residents of Palapye and surrounding communities. Pyrolysis of coal dust is one of the wastes to energy technique that can be adopted to utilize waste coal dust. Botswana relies on imported tar to upgrade dusty roads while it has sufficient resources to produce its own tar from coal. One of the main products for pyrolysis of coal dust is tar which can be used to construct roads and pavements. This study utilizes coal dust from Morupule coal mine for tar production using flash pyrolysis in a batch reactor at pilot scale. Morupule coal dust was characterized before pyrolysis and the highest recorded yield is 22.9% kg at 600 ﹾC