Goual Research Group

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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.