Hydrocarbon products of coals as revealed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography

The hydrocarbon products generated and released from coals continue to be debated. The Mesozoic and Cenozoic southern hemisphere coals have been described as being capable of generating significant quantities of heavy hydrocarbons (oil-like material) when compared to the Paleozoic coals of the northern hemisphere because of changes in the coal forming community. This hypothesis was examined by comparing the pyrolysis-gas chromatography results of a collection of coals. Preliminary results indicate that the most significant difference in pyrolytic products is in the less than nC₁₅ fraction. The data further indicate that coals generate similar types of hydrocarbons independent of age or geographic position if they contain similar bulk maceral content. Coals rich in vitrinite generate predominately aromatic hydrocarbons with lesser amounts of n-paraffins. Coals rich in algae and other exinites generate largely paraffinic hydrocarbons. Coals rich in resins generate naphthenic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The petroleum generating potential of coals also depends on the coal's expulsion efficiency, which is not addressed by this study.