Petroleum Engineering
EN 4015
Dept. 3295
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
Email: pete-info@uwyo.edu
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We use Wyoming coal liquefaction tars as inexpensive carbon feedstocks that are highly enriched in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), ranging from small benzene-like molecules to highly polarizable ones called coal-derived asphaltenes. The tars are fractionated into classes of compounds according to their functionalities and molecular weight using solvents with ascending polarity. The chemistry and composition of the collected sub-fractions are determined by various spectroscopic and imaging techniques. The knowledge of the molecules which report to each sub-fraction is of tremendous value to the UW coal refinery model and also help to understand which processes provide materials which are best for which end product. Graphene-based materials are then synthesized from coal tar fractions using bottom-up and top-down techniques and used as oil flow enhancers, adsorbents for oil spill cleanup, as well as electrodes for energy storage.
Petroleum Engineering
EN 4015
Dept. 3295
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
Email: pete-info@uwyo.edu