University of Wyoming January 6, 2021

As part of an experiment by researchers at the University of Wyoming, sparks were generated in a glass vial containing coal powder and copper foil in a microwave oven. They successfully converted pulverized coal into nano-graphite, demonstrating a novel and inexpensive coal conversion technology. Credit: Chris Massey

Researchers at the University of Wyoming used copper foil, glass containers and traditional household microwave ovens to prove that coal powder can be converted into higher-value nano-graphite.

This discovery is another step forward in the search for alternative uses of coal in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, as concerns about climate change have led to a decline in coal power generation demand.

In a paper published in the journal Nano-Structures & Nano-Objects, researchers at the University of Washington reported that they created an environment in a microwave oven and successfully converted raw coal powder into nano-graphite for use as a lubricant And various items, fire extinguishers to lithium ion batteries. This "metal-assisted microwave treatment one-step method" is a new method that can represent a simple and relatively inexpensive coal conversion technology.

"This method provides a new way to convert abundant carbon sources into high-value materials with ecological and economic benefits," wrote the research team led by Associate Professor Te Yu Chien from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Washington.

Also participating in the project are Professor Tang Jinke from the Department of Physics and Astronomy; Associate Professor Brian Leonard from the Department of Chemistry; Professor Fan Maohong from the Department of Petroleum Engineering and School of Energy; Rabindra Dulal, a graduate student from Nepal, Joann Hilman from Laramie, and Syracuse, New York Chris Masi from Buffalo and Teneil Schumacher from Buffalo; and postdoctoral researchers Gaurab Rimal (Nepal) and Bang Xu (China).

Although previous studies have shown that microwaves can be used to reduce the moisture content of coal and remove sulfur and other minerals, most of these methods require specific chemical pretreatment of the coal. In their experiment, researchers at the University of Washington simply grind the raw coal from the Powder River Basin into powder.

The powder was then placed on a copper foil and sealed in a glass container with a gas mixture of argon and hydrogen before being placed in a microwave oven. The traditional microwave oven was chosen because it is convenient and can provide the required radiation level.

"By cutting the copper foil into forks, the microwave radiation can generate sparks, which can generate extremely high temperatures of more than 1800 degrees Fahrenheit within a few seconds," said Marcy, the first author of the paper. "That's why you shouldn't put a metal fork in the microwave."

The sparks caused by microwaves generate the high temperatures required to convert coal powder into polycrystalline graphite. Copper foil and hydrogen also help this process.

Although the experiment included microwave durations ranging from 3 to 45 minutes, the optimal duration was found to be 15 minutes.

The researchers said that this new method of coal conversion can be improved and implemented on a larger scale to produce higher quality and quantity of nano-graphite materials.

"Limited graphite reserves and environmental issues with graphite extraction procedures make this method of converting coal into graphite a good alternative source for graphite production," the scientists wrote.

References: "Converting raw coal powder into polycrystalline nanographite by metal-assisted microwave treatment" Authors: Christoffer A. Masi, Teneil A. Schumacher, Joann Hilman, Rabindra Dulal, Gaurab Rimal, Bang Xu, Brian Leonard, Jinke Tang, Maohong Fan and TeYu Chien, January 5, 2021, nanostructures and nanoobjects. DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoso.2020.100660

The link to the research paper appears to be incorrect.

Do you know that you have 3 titles, which are really annoying, can you copy your objection, open one title,,,,, and you leave it to the artist instead of the practical boy? Still very exciting to read

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