Dynamic micro-mapping of CO2 sorption in coal

Abstract

We have applied X-ray and neutron small-angle scattering techniques (SAXS, SANS and USANS) to study the interaction between fluids and porous media in the particular case of sub- and super-critical CO2 sorption in coal. These techniques are demonstrated to give unique, pore-size-specific insights into the kinetics of CO2 sorption in a wide range of coal pores (nano to meso), and to provide data that may be used to determine the density of the sorbed CO2. We observed densification of the adsorbed CO2 by a factor up to five compared to the free fluid at the same (p,T) conditions. Our results indicate that details of CO2 sorption into coal pores differ greatly between different coals and depend on the amount of mineral matter dispersed in the coal matrix: a purely organic matrix absorbs more CO2 per unit volume than one contaminated with mineral matter, but mineral matter markedly accelerates the sorption kinetics.