Performance of slurry prepared with coal and waste liquor from cellulose ethanol fuel

A new method to recycle waste liquor from cellulose ethanol fuel was suggested. It was mixed with coal to prepare slurry which could be utilized as fuel. Rotating viscometer was used to determine the rheology of waste liquor coal slurry of cellulose ethanol fuel (WLCS-CEF). The effects of slurry concentration, dosage of waste liquor and additive on rheology of WLCS-CEF were studied. The apparent viscosity increases with the increasing of solid concentration and dosage of waste liquor. Additive could improve the rheology greatly. Constituents with large molecular weight in the waste liquor (lignin, cellulose and semicellulose) are not hydrolyzed completely, which is able to stabilize the WLCS-CEF. Meanwhile, the stability of WLCS-CEF is better than coal-water slurry at the same concentration. The stability of WLCS-CEF increases as slurry concentration increased, and suitable additive can also improve its stability. When additive A was used, and the concentration of WLCS-CEF is 62% with the waste liquor dosage of 2.5%. It is much more suitable for gasification.