An assessment of coal from Mui basin as an alternative energy Resource for Kenya

Abstract

A study was conducted in which Seventy nine samples of coal were collected from four different wells of the Mui basin between November, 2005 and July, 2006, and analyzed for calorific value, fixed carbon, moisture content, ash content, volatile matter, sulphur and iron content. Calorific value was analyzed using the bomb calorimetric method, by igniting a weighed portion of each sample in the bomb for one hour and measuring the corrected rise in temperature. For sulphur, one gram of each sample was mixed with three grams of Eschka mixture and ashed at 825°C for 1 hours in a muffle furnace. The resulting residue was dissolved in hot water, filtered and the filtrate reacted with barium nitrate to precipitate barium sulphate. The Sulphur content was then determined from the total barium sulphate content. Iron in the coal sample, was analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Samples were first ashed at 950°C in a muffle furnace before extracting the iron using aqua regia (a 3:1mixture of concentrated hydrochloric acid and concentrated nitric acid). The objective of the analysis was to rank the coal and establish its suitability for use as an alternative energy resource in Kenya.