Many available coals are "caking coals" which possess the undesirable characteristic of fusing into a solid mass when heated through their plastic temperature range (about 400.degree. C.) which temperature range is involved in many common treatment processes such as gasification, hydrogenation, carbonization and the like. Unless the caking properties are first destroyed, the coal cannot be satisfactorily used in such processes. A process is disclosed herein for decaking finely divided coal during its transport to the treating zone by propelling the coal entrained in an oyxgen-containing gas through a heated transport pipe whereby the separate transport and decaking steps of the prior art are combined into a single step.
A method for reducing the caking property of coal, by contacting coal with sulfur dioxide in an amount at least 0.5 times the amount of the coal on a weight basis, at a temperature of at least 120.degree. C. under a pressure of at least 10 Kg/cm.sup.2, and separating the treated coal from the sulfur dioxide, whereby to reduce the caking property of the coal and to render the coal more easily pulverizable.
