Rheological and Stability Assessment of Alternative Polymer Modifiers for Coal Dust Combustion

Czernek, Krystian; Krupińska, Andżelika; Makowski, Kamil; Ochowiak, Marek; Matuszak, Magdalena; Bielecki, Zdzisław; Pavlenko, Ivan; Włodarczak, Sylwia

doi:10.3390/app16020956

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Open AccessArticle

Rheological and Stability Assessment of Alternative Polymer Modifiers for Coal Dust Combustion

by

Krystian Czernek

^1,*

,

Andżelika Krupińska

^2,*

,

Kamil Makowski

²,

Marek Ochowiak

²,

Magdalena Matuszak

²,

Zdzisław Bielecki

³,

Ivan Pavlenko

⁴

and

Sylwia Włodarczak

²

¹

Department of Process and Environmental Engineering, Opole University of Technology, Prószkowska 76, 45-758 Opole, Poland

²

Department of Chemical Engineering and Equipment, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland

³

KMB Catalyst Sp. z o.o.,ul. Pszczyńska 167C, 43-175 Wyry, Poland

⁴

Department of Computational Mechanics named after Volodymyr Martsynkovskyy, Sumy State University, 116, Kharkivska St., 40007 Sumy, Ukraine

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(2), 956; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16020956 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 7 November 2025 / Revised: 13 January 2026 / Accepted: 15 January 2026 / Published: 16 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on Heat and Mass Transfer)

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Abstract

This study focuses on the development and physicochemical evaluation of an alternative liquid carrier for coal dust combustion modifiers containing solid catalyst particles. A commercially used acrylic-polymer-based carrier, whose viscosity is regulated by sodium hydroxide addition, was investigated and compared with a proposed safer substitute based on an aqueous sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Na-CMC) solution. Rheological properties were measured in the shear-rate range relevant to industrial transport and injection systems, while sedimentation behavior was assessed using image-based analysis. The results show that the Na-CMC carrier exhibits shear-thinning behavior and viscosity levels comparable to the commercial formulation, enabling stable suspension of catalyst particles without the need for alkali additives. Unlike the reference system, the alternative carrier does not generate gas during storage, eliminating potential safety hazards associated with hydrogen evolution. Although no direct combustion experiments were performed, the obtained rheological and stability characteristics indicate that the proposed Na-CMC-based carrier is suitable for short-term storage and injection of catalyst-containing modifiers in coal dust combustion systems. Direct validation of combustion performance is planned in future work.

Keywords: coal dust; environmental protection; process optimization; modifier

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MDPI and ACS Style

Czernek, K.; Krupińska, A.; Makowski, K.; Ochowiak, M.; Matuszak, M.; Bielecki, Z.; Pavlenko, I.; Włodarczak, S. Rheological and Stability Assessment of Alternative Polymer Modifiers for Coal Dust Combustion. Appl. Sci. 2026, 16, 956. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16020956

AMA Style

Czernek K, Krupińska A, Makowski K, Ochowiak M, Matuszak M, Bielecki Z, Pavlenko I, Włodarczak S. Rheological and Stability Assessment of Alternative Polymer Modifiers for Coal Dust Combustion. Applied Sciences. 2026; 16(2):956. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16020956

Chicago/Turabian Style

Czernek, Krystian, Andżelika Krupińska, Kamil Makowski, Marek Ochowiak, Magdalena Matuszak, Zdzisław Bielecki, Ivan Pavlenko, and Sylwia Włodarczak. 2026. "Rheological and Stability Assessment of Alternative Polymer Modifiers for Coal Dust Combustion" Applied Sciences 16, no. 2: 956. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16020956

APA Style

Czernek, K., Krupińska, A., Makowski, K., Ochowiak, M., Matuszak, M., Bielecki, Z., Pavlenko, I., & Włodarczak, S. (2026). Rheological and Stability Assessment of Alternative Polymer Modifiers for Coal Dust Combustion. Applied Sciences, 16(2), 956. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16020956

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Rheological and Stability Assessment of Alternative Polymer Modifiers for Coal Dust Combustion

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