Ethane constitutes an explosive gas. It most often accompanies methane realizing during exploitation and mining works. In this paper the results of ethane sorption have been discussed on three grain classes of six selected hard coal samples collected from active Polish coalmines. On the basis of obtained results, it has been stated that the tested hard coals prove differentiated sorption power with reference to ethane. Te extreme amount of ethane is sorbed by low carbonized hard coal from “Jaworzno” coalmine. This sort of coal shows great porosity, and great content of oxygen and moisture. The least amount of ethane is sorbed by hard coal from “Sośnica” coalmine. This sort of coal possesses relatively a great deal of ash contents. Together with the process of coal disintegration, the amount of sorbed ethane increases for all tested coal samples.
Between tested coals there are three medium carbonized samples collected from “Pniówek”, “Chwałowice” “Zofiówka” coalmines which are characterized by small surface values counted according to model BET from nitrogen sorption isotherms determined at the temperature of 77.5 K. The samples of these three coals prove the highest, from between tested coals, increase of ethane sorption occurring together with their disintegration.
These samples disintegrated to 0,063-0,075 mm grain class sorb ethane in the amount corresponding with the sorption quantity of low carbonized coal from “Jaworzno” coalmine in 0.5-0.7 mm grain class. It should be marked that the low carbonized samples collected from “Jaworzno” and Wesoła” coalmines possess large specific surface and great porosity and belong to coal group of “loose” spatial structure. Regarding profusion of sorbed ethane on disintegrated medium carbonized samples from “Pniówek”, “Zofiówka”, “Chwałowice” coalmines it can be supposed that in the process of coal disintegration, breaking their “compact’ structure occurs. Loosened structure of medium carbonized coals results in increasing accessibility of ethane particles to sorption centres both electron donors and electron acceptors which are present on hard coal surface. The surface sorption centre increase may result in formation a compact layer of ethane particles on coal surface. In the formed layer, not only the strengths of vertical binding of ethane particles with the coal surface appear but also the impact of horizontal strengths appears which forms a compact layer of sorbed ethane particles. The surface layer of ethane particles may lead to explosion.