Coal tar waste utilization by cracking into fuel source and its separation using the fractional vacuum distillation method

Abstract Coal tar is a hazardous and toxic waste, a by-product of coal gasification processes. Coal tar is a waste produced in industrial fields such as steel, power plant, and the cement industry. As a potential fuel source for its component, utilization of coal tar by catalytic cracking into fuel source and its separation using fractional vacuum distillation is conducted. Pyrolysis of low-temperature coal tar (LTCT) was carried out using catalyst activated natural zeolite by 2:10 ratio at various temperature. The middle oil (180-260°C) fraction was distilled through fractional vacuum distillation using Vigroux column fraction and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). In this study, the rate constant (k) of middle oil recovery was increased with the increase of temperature and reduced pressure. The calorific value, the density, the kinematic viscosity, the flashpoint, the pour point, and the sulfur content of the middle oil complied with diesel oil type 2 specifications. Still, it did not meet the specification for density specifications. The main components of the middle oil fraction were naphthalenes and their derivatives. The results indicated that the raw LTCT could be considerably upgraded through catalytic cracking, obtaining fuel oil fraction.