The role of volatiles and coal structural variation in coal methane adsorption

We investigated the role of volatiles in the porous structure of coal samples and the corresponding structural deformations that affect the coals' methane adsorption capacity. For this study, the volatiles in coal were gradually removed by extraction. Changes in the crystal, textural, and porous structures were identified by means of thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and N2 adsorption/desorption. Changes in the methane adsorption behavior before and after volatile removal were investigated. It was found that changes in methane adsorption could be attributed to volatile-related deformations in the coal's porous structure. Microstructural characterizations indicated that the volatiles could be found in two states within the coal, either trapped in the pores, or cross-linked in the network. The former played an important role in constructing the pore spaces and walls within the coal and affected the accessibility of gases. The latter cross-linked state retained the volatiles within the macromolecular coal structural network. This state affected coal-coal interactions, which was a factor that controlled the crystal structure of coal and contributed to the number of porous deformations.