Moisture content is an important parameter that determines the quality of coal and charcoal. The moisture content is usually expressed as weight percent to the total charcoal mass

1. SHREE MALLIKARJUN COLLEGE CLASS:SYBSC
SAFETY: Refer to MSDS of coal and charcoal
-Dr. Mithil S. FalDesai
Aim: Determination of moisture content in the sample of coal/ charcoal.
Chemicals: Coal or charcoal.
Apparatus/Instrument: Glass crucible, desiccator and electric oven.
Theory: Moisture content is an important parameter that determines the quality of coal and
charcoal. The moisture content is usually expressed as weight percent to the total charcoal mass.
% moisture content =
𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑐𝑜𝑎𝑙
× 100
Procedure:
1) Heat a clean crucible at 110 ◦C in an oven for 10 min.
2) Cool the crucible at room temperature and keep it in a desiccator.
3) Weigh the empty crucible and note down the weight.
4) Weigh around 500 mg of charcoal and note down the weight of crucible with charcoal.
5) Heat the crucible for 110 ◦C for 1 h.
6) Cool the crucible and note down the weight.
7. Heat the crucible again for 20 min at 110 ◦C and note down the weight.
8) Repeat step 7 if the difference in weight after successive heating is more than 5 mg.
Observation
Table 1.
Weight of
the empty
crucible
Weight of
crucible +
charcoal
Weight after
1st heating
Weight after
2nd heating
Weight after
3rd heating
Weight after
4th
Difference between successive heating
Results: i) Moisture content in the charcoal = _____%.
Further reading (available in the library)
1) Experiments in Applied Chemistry, S. Rattan, S. K Kataria, and Sons.
Questions.
1) What are the uses of activated charcoal?
2) How natural coal is formed?
3) Coal is a non-renewable natural resource. Comment!
4) What is the difference between coal and charcoal?