Brown Coal

Brown coal or lignite is a low rank with high moisture content of around 60 %, low heat value and high oxygen content. Therefore, it is hard to use for converted to useful energy. However, it is concluding many outstanding features such as less ash and sulfur content, and especially, including abundant of oxygen-containing functional groups such as carboxyl and phenol groups which are available for ion-exchange with metals. The structural unit of coal models is shown in Figure 4d.

Figure 4. Structural unit of coal models (a: anthracite coal; b: bituminous coal; c: bituminous coal; d: brown coal)