Mössbauer study of the effect of organic sulphur on the catalysis of the hydroliquefaction of Victorian brown coal

The promotion of hydroliquefaction by iron and tin has been compared in two Victorian brown coals, Morwell and Coolungoolun. Tin was more effective in the low organic sulphur Morwell coal, whereas iron was better suited to the high organic sulphur Coolungoolun coal. 119Sn and 57Fe Mössbauer analyses of the hydroliquefaction residues suggest that the high organic sulphur coal converts iron into catalytically active pyrrhotite, Fe 0.92S, but converts tin into the relatively inactive tin sulphide, SnS.