The utilization of high-sulfur coal is becoming more urgent due to the excessive utilization of low-sulfur

high-quality coal resources

and sulfur removal from high-sulfur coal is the most important issue. This paper reviews the speciation

forms and distribution of sulfur in coal

the sulfur removal from raw coal

the thermal transformation of sulfur during coal pyrolysis

and the sulfur regulation during coal-blending coking of high organic-sulfur coals. It was suggested that the proper characterization of sulfur in coal cannot be obtained only by either chemical method or instrumental characterization

which raises the need of a combination of current or newly adopted characterization methods. Different from the removal of inorganic sulfur from coal

the organic sulfur can only be partly removed by chemical technologies; and the coal structure and property

particularly high-sulfur coking coals which have caking ability

may be altered and affected by the pretreatment processes. Based on the interactions among the sulfur radicals

sulfur-containing and hydrogen-containing fragments during coal pyrolysis and the reactions with minerals or nascent char

regulating the sulfur transformation behavior in the p

rocess of thermal conversion is the most effective way to utilize high organic-sulfur coals in the coke-making industry. An

in-situ

regulation approach of sulfur transformation during coal-blending coking has been suggested. That is

the high volatile coals with an appropriate releasing temperature range of CH

4

overlapping well with that of H

2

S from high organic-sulfur coals is blended with high organic-sulfur coals

and the C-S/C-C bonds in some sulfur forms are catalytically broken and immediately hydrogenated by the hydrogen-containing radicals generated from high volatile coals. Wherein

the effect of mass transfer on sulfur regulation during the coking process should be considered for the larger-scale coking tests through optimizing the ratios of different coals in the coal blend.