Industrial applications of the agglomeration process

Environmental, technological and economic problems caused by utilization of low quality and low rank coals and serious concerns related to a growing number of polluted industrial waste sites have significantly increased interest in further development and application of oil agglomeration technology. Study performed at the Alberta Research Council on the various applications of the spherical agglomeration process led to the development of different technologies applicable for coal cleaning, upgrading, handleability improvement or moisture reduction. The other important applications were recovery of combustible material from rejects and settling ponds and remediation of soils contaminated with various hydrocarbons. The preparation and handling of fine coal is a key issue to many coal mine operators and the efficient recovery of coal from fines streams could have a profound effect on increased plant productivity and reduction of the potential environmental liabilities associated with waste generation, accumulation and disposal. To overcome the problems associated with coal fines and hydrocarbon-contaminated soils, ARC researchers have, over the last 20 years, placed particular emphasis on the development and testing of improved coal preparation and soil remediation technologies. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.