Catalytic dehydrogenation of coal: Part 4. A comparison of exinite, micrinite, and fusinite with vitrinite

Four macerals from an hvab coal have been dehydrogenated. As expected, different yields of hydrogen were obtained. Vitrinite and exinite, which evolve 25 and 31 atoms of hydrogen per 100 carbon atoms, respectively, are evidently rich in hydroaromatic structures. Fusinite, which yields only 5 atoms of hydrogen, is thought to be mainly aromatic. Micrinite, which is similar to vitrinite in both ultimate and proximate analyses, gives only 18 atoms of hydrogen. Micrinite must therefore contain some type of hydrogen which is not hydroaromatic but which does not greatly alter the ultimate or proximate composition from that of the vitrinite. Vitrinite and fusinite from an hvcb and an lvb coal show differences similar to that found with the hvab coal. The data also confirm that whereas all three fusinites (from coals of different ranks) are highly aromatic, the vitrinites become more aromatic as coalification proceeds and rank increases.