Improvements on combustion properties of asphaltite and correlation of activation energies with combustion results

Processing of Şırnak Asphaltite sample by gravity and flotation concentration methods was investigated to decrease its ash content. Finely disseminated inorganic constituents of asphaltite revealed the difficulty of operation. Ash content of asphaltite was reduced from 44.86% to 31.44% by gravity concentration method with a 75% combustible recovery. On the other hand, it was possible to reduce ash content to 24% by flotation with almost same combustible recovery. Combustion characterization of raw and improved asphaltites was performed by non-isothermal thermogravimetric experiments. The data obtained were analyzed for the determination of activation energy of asphaltite samples. Processing proved to improve the combustion characteristics of asphaltite where activation energies showed the same trend with ash contents of asphaltite samples and decreased from 47.75 kJ/mol of raw asphaltite to 30.24 kJ/mol. As a result, activation energies were correlated with ash contents, calorific values, burn-out temperatures and sulfur contents of processed samples.