Coal is one of the most essential fossil fuels. It is mainly composed of carbon, with variable amounts of other elements, such as water, rock residues, volatile matter, and sulfur compounds, depending on the place where it formed and which kind of soil or rock determined its formation.
The level of sulfur concentration in coal influences the dispersion of pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, sulphuric acid during combustion. The lower the sulfur content, the better the quality of coal, which continues to be the world's leading energy source, despite growing concerns about environmental pollution and the effects of CO2 emissions.
In light of this, it is essential to find effective tools to determine the amount of carbon and sulfur in coal and assess its quality. This is the aim of the analysis carried out on two different coal samples, using the innovative EMA 502 Elemental Analyzer CHNS-O.