Changes in Physicochemical Properties of Coal and Their Mechanism Due to Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub>–H<sub>2</sub>O Treatment

oleh: Run Chen, Yajun Zhang, Kunpeng Hu, Guanglong Tu, Tianzheng Dou

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-09-01

Deskripsi

The dissolution of supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO<sub>2</sub>) in water forms a ScCO<sub>2</sub>–H<sub>2</sub>O system, which exerts a transformative influence on the physicochemical characteristics of coal and significantly impacts the CO<sub>2</sub>-driven enhanced coalbed methane (CO<sub>2</sub>-ECBM) recovery process. Herein, the effect of ScCO<sub>2</sub>–H<sub>2</sub>O treatment on the physicochemical properties of coal was simulated in a high-pressure reactor. The migration of major elements, change in the pore structure, and change in the CH<sub>4</sub> adsorption capacity of coal after the ScCO<sub>2</sub>–H<sub>2</sub>O treatment were detected using plasma emission spectroscopy, the low-temperature liquid nitrogen adsorption method, and the CH<sub>4</sub> adsorption method, respectively. The results show that (1) the ScCO<sub>2</sub>–H<sub>2</sub>O treatment led to mineral reactions causing a significant migration of constant elements in the coal. The migration of Ca ions was the most significant, with an increase in their concentration in treated water from 0 to 16–970 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>, followed by Na, Mg, and K. Al migrated the least, from 0 to 0.004–2.555 mg·L<sup>−1</sup>. (2) The ScCO<sub>2</sub>–H<sub>2</sub>O treatment increased the pore volume and pore-specific surface area (SSA) of the coal via the dissolution and precipitation of minerals in the coal pores. The total pore volume increased from 0.000795–0.011543 to 0.001274–0.014644 cm<sup>3</sup>·g<sup>−1</sup>, and the total pore SSA increased from 0.084–3.332 to 0.400–6.061 m<sup>2</sup>·g<sup>−1</sup>. (3) Changes in the CH<sub>4</sub> adsorption capacity were affected by the combined effects of a mineral reaction and pore structure change. The dissolved precipitates of the minerals in the coal pores after the ScCO<sub>2</sub>–H<sub>2</sub>O treatment caused elemental migration, which not only decreased the mineral content in the coal pores but also increased the total pore volume and total pore SSA, thus improving the CH<sub>4</sub> adsorption capacity of the coal. This study provides theoretical support for CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration and ECBM recovery.