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Abstract: The mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of feed coals and their combustion by-products (fly ash and slag) from Hongyanchi (HONG) and Weihuliang (WEI) coal-fired power plants in Xinjiang Province, Northwest China, were investigated. The enrichment and partitioning behaviour, as well as the leaching potential of the major and trace elements in these combustion by-products were evaluated. Three feed coals from the two power plants (HC, WC1, and WC2) were characterised by medium-moisture contents, low- to medium-ash yields, high volatile matters, and low-S contents as well as low-mineral contents. Except B, Sr, and Ba in WC1 feed coal; P, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Rb, and Ba in WC2 feed coal; and Ti, Mn, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, and Ba in the HC feed coal, most major and trace element concentrations were low compared with other Chinese coals and coals worldwide. Most trace element concentrations in the studied fly ashes (HA, WAf, and WAc) were even lower than their minimum and/or 25th percentile (P25) values reported for EU fly ashes, as were the element concentrations in the fly ash leachates. The studied fly ashes were all classified as type F fly ashes, with high glass contents as well as high SiO2/Al2O3 ratios in the glass matrix. Through enrichment factors, mass balance, and partitioning of elements, S, F, Cl, Hg, and B were highly volatile in both PCC plants. Tin, As, Se, Cu, and Zn were also moderately volatile, and they were enriched in fly ashes mainly by volatilisation/condensation. Iron and Mn were slightly enriched in slags, probably due to the high density of Fe–Mn-bearing phases. In the light of the above-mentioned properties, fly ashes and slags from the two power plants in Xinjiang will have a very high potential for a variety of uses, with very low environmental limitations. In summary, this study is demonstrating the high quality of Xinjiang coals with enormous coal reserves, and also the high quality of the combustion by-products that will be produced also in very high amounts in the near future. Major focus is on trace elements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the Late Permian Huayingshan coals, partings, roof and floor strata, as well as lutitic rocks from the Longtan Formation, in Sichuan Province, southwestern China, were investigated in this study. The Huayingshan low volatile bituminous coals are characterized by relatively high mineral contents (mainly kaolinite, quartz, pyrite, and calcite). The concentrations of most trace elements are relatively high compared with other Chinese and world coals. The coals and associated strata show similar element affinities: Al, Ti, Li, Ta, Th, Ga, U, Sn, Sc, Cr, Cu, Rb, Co, and Se probably have an aluminosilicate affinity; Zr, Nb, Hf, Y, REEs, and U probably result from the occurrence of heavy minerals such as zircon; S, Fe, W, and Rb mainly have a sulfide affinity; Ca, Sr, and Mn mainly have an carbonate affinity. The high enrichment in the Huayingshan coal of Zr, Nb, Hf, REEs, Ta, Ga, and Th is caused by a geochemical anomaly in the source of this coal''s detrital material (and probably also by input of volcanic ash), which is influenced by the alkaline volcanic magmas of the Emeishan basalt. The Zr/Hf, Zr/Nb, Zr/La and Zr/Th ratios support the volcanic origin of such a geochemical anomaly. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Zhundong coalfield is a very large coal deposit, currently under exploration, and promises to be an important coal mining resource in Western China. The coal reserves amount to 164Gt. At Xiheishan and Wucaiwan, the coal-bearing units are the Badaowan (Lower Jurassic) and, especially, the Xishanyao formations (Middle Jurassic). These contain from one to 31 coal seams (one to 10 workable coals reaching the rank of high volatile A bituminous) with an accumulated workable coal thickness of 20–87m. These recently explored coal reserves are of a high quality and are characterized by low ash, aluminum, iron, sulfur, and trace element contents. The minerals present in this coal are mainly quartz, kaolinite, siderite, and pyrite. The trace element contents in both Xiheishan and Wucaiwan coals are much lower when compared with the usual concentration ranges present in Chinese coals, with the exception of Ba and Sr. Thus, Ba contents in Xiheishan coal are higher than Swaine''s worldwide concentration range. A large number of elements have mainly aluminosilicate affinity, and occur in clay and other detrital coal minerals. Ca and Mn have mainly carbonate affinity; Fe and S have mainly sulphide affinity in Wuchaiwan coal. In Xiheishan, Fe, Mn and Mg have mainly carbonate affinity (siderite), and probably, B, Co, Ni and S have an organic affinity. Thus, the Zhundong coalfield contains coal with a very high quality and very low levels of impurities. The very low ash yields, S, Fe, and trace element contents may be attributed to the sedimentological setting, with intensive peat bog aggradation in a very shallow lake environment with a low detrital supply. The very low sulfur content, the relatively high Ba-sulfate (barite) content and the high siderite occurrence in Xiheishan coal (in contrast to the pyrite occurrence in Wucaiwan coal) may be attributed to the rapid aggradation of peat with the consequent oxidation and leaching of minerals, elements, and degradation of organic components. Under this scenario, sulfate is trapped by the continuous precipitation and accumulation of barium sulfate (very low soluble). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper deals with the study of the Late Permian coal deposits from Chongqing and south-eastern Hubei mining districts and of the Late Triassic coal deposits from Chongqing mining district. The Late Permian coals are characterized by relatively high amount of sulphide, sulphate and carbonate minerals and by a high total content of trace elements (with respect to the Late Triassic coals) due to the marine influence on the depositional environment. The Late Permian Chongqing and the southeastern Hubei coals showed similar geochemistry and mineralogy. However, there were some differences due to the different source rock and magmatic influence on Hubei coals. The concentrations of most trace elements in the Late Triassic coal were relatively low when compared with the usual range of the worldwide concentrations. By contrast, the contents of Ta, Se, Nb, Sc, Hf, Tl, Bi, Cu, V and Zn in the Late Permian Chongqing and Southeastern Hubei coals were higher than the usual range. Differences in occurrence of major and trace elements were found between Late Permian Hubei and Chongqing coals. Thus, most of the trace elements investigated presented an aluminosilicate association, followed by sulphide–arsenide (Fe, S, As, Pb, Mo, Ni and Co, in most cases) and carbonate (Ca and Mg) affinities in both areas. However, there was an important phosphate and zircon association in the Chongqing coal, whereas the carbonate association was significantly influenced by magma in the coals from Hubei. In the Late Triassic coal most of the major and trace elements investigated occur in aluminosilicate associations, with the exception of S, Fe, Ca, Mn, Sr, Sn, Ba, Nb, Mo, Mg, Co and Ta, with carbonate, sulphate and sulphide affinities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The concentration of trace elements and their distribution in the late Permian coal in the Heshan coal field, Guangxi Autonomous Region, were analysed in this paper. The late Permian coal of the Heshan mining district was developed in a low energy and shallow, confined carbonate platform. Heshan coal is a low volatile bituminous coal characterized by a high sulphur content, ranging between 2.0% and 8.2%. Compared with the worldwide average content of the trace elements in coal, the content of some trace element in the study coal is markedly high (Bi, Ce, Cr, Cs, Cu, Ga, Hf, Sr, Ta, Th, U, V, W, Y, Zr, La, Mo, Nb and Sc). The trace element associations were investigated by means of intracorrelation analysis. Some elements, such as Cl, F and Sr are found in coal in association with the carbonate minerals. V, Cr, Zn, Mo, Ni and As contents in coal vary significantly amongst the coal samples. They are mainly concentrated in the lower part of the coal #4 upper of Suhe and Lilan mines and the coal #4 lower of Dong mine, and these possibly occurring in minerals such as arsenide and sulphide. The content of U in Heshan coal is high and is mainly concentrated at the upper and the lower parts of the coal seam and it is associated with mineral assemblages with Ba, Mo, V, Ni, Zn, Rb and Cr. Furthermore, La and Ce are highly correlated with those found in phosphate minerals and Pb, Sc, Ga, Th, Y and Sn to those in aluminosilicate minerals. The enrichment of some elements such as V, Cr, Zn, Mo, Ni, Rb as well as total sulphur and iron in the lower part of most coal seams might be associated with the formation of soil horizon before the accumulation of peat in the basin. Some other elements such as Cl, F, Sr and Ca are locally concentrated in the top of specific coal seams as a result of the leaching from overlying carbonates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The occurrence and distribution of major and trace elements have been investigated in two coal-bearing units in the Chonqing mining district (South China): the Late Permian and Late Triassic coals.The Late Permian coals have higher S contents than the Late Triassic coals due to the fixation of pyrite in marine-influenced coal-forming environments. The occurrence of pyrite accounts for the association of a large number of elements (Fe, S, As, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, and Zn) with sulphides, as deduced from the analysis of the density fractions. The marine influence is probably also responsible for the organic association of B. The REEs, Zr, Nb, and Hf, are enriched by a factor of 2–3 with respect to the highest levels fixed for the usual worldwide concentration ranges in coal for these elements. The content of these elements in the Late Permian coal is higher by a factor of 5–10 with respect to the Late Triassic coal. Furthermore, other elements, such as Cu, P, Th, U, V, and Y, are relatively enriched with respect to the common range values, with maximum values higher than the usual range or close to the maximum levels in coal. The content of these elements in the Late Permian coal is higher than the Late Triassic coal. These geochemical enrichments are the consequence of the occurrence, in relatively high levels, of phosphate minerals, such as apatite, xenotime, and monazite, as deduced from the study of the density fractions obtained from the bulk coal.The Late Triassic coal has a low sulphur content with a major organic affinity. The trace element contents are low when compared with worldwide ranges for coal. In this coal, the trace element distribution is governed by clay minerals, carbonate minerals, and to a lesser extent, by organic matter and sulphide minerals.Major differences found between late Permian and Triassic coals are probably related to the source rocks, given that the main source rock of the late Permian epicontinental marine basin is the Emeishan basalt formation, characterised by a high phosphate content. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The anomalous enrichment of the rare earth elements and yttrium (REY), U, Mo, As, Se, and V in the coal-bearing intervals intercalated within the carbonate successions in South China has attracted much attention due to the highly promising recovery potential for these elements. This study investigates the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the late Permian coal-bearing intervals (layers A–F) intercalated in marine carbonate strata in the Xian'an Coalfield in Guangxi Province to elucidate the mode of occurrence and enrichment process of highly elevated elements. There are two mineralogical assemblages, including quartz-albite-kaolinite-carbonates assemblage in layers D–F and quartz-illite-kaolinite-carbonates assemblage in layers A–C. Compared to the upper continental crust composition (UCC), the REY, U, Mo, As, Se, and V are predominantly enriched in layers A and B, of which layer A displays the REY–V–Se–As assemblage while layer B shows the Mo–U–V assemblage. The elevated REY contents in layer B are primarily hosted by clay minerals, zircon, and monazite; Mo, U, and V show organic association; and As and Se primarily display Fe-sulfide association. Three geological factors are most likely responsible for geochemical anomaly: (1) the more intensive seawater invasion gives rise to higher sulfur, Co, Ni, As, and Se contents, as well as higher Sr/Ba ratio in layers A–C than in layers D–F; (2) both the input of alkaline pyroclastic materials and the solution/rock interaction jointly govern the anomalous enrichment of REY; and (3) the influx of syngenetic or early diagenetic hydrothermal fluids is the predominant source of U, Mo, V, Se, and As. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of feed coals and coal combustion products (CCPs) from the Shenhuo and Yihua Power Plants in Xinjiang Autonomous Region, were studied by means of proximate analysis, Power X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray analyzer (SEM-EDX), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-AES). The environmental geochemistry of CCPs was evaluated by Al-normalized enrichment factor as well as European Standard EN-12457 leaching test. Two feed coals have the characteristics of low sulfur content, medium to high volatiles matter yields, medium moisture content, super low to medium ash yield, medium to high calorific value and low mineral content. The main crystalline facies in fly ash and slag are quartz and mullite, with a small amount of calcite, and some unburned carbon. Hematite, SrSO4 and barite also can be observed in fly ashes by SEM. Typical plerophere occurs in fine fly ash rather than the coarse fly ash. The concentration of most trace elements in CCPs falls within the lower concentration range of European fly ashes. With respect to the partitioning behavior of trace elements during coal combustion, S is highly volatile, and Mg, Na, Zn, B, Co, As, Nb, Zr, Cu and K also show certain volatility, which may to some extent emit to the atmosphere. Furthermore, leaching experiments show that leachable concentrations of most of the potentially toxic elements in CCPs are low, and the CCPs fall in the range between inert and nonhazardous landfill material regulated by the 2003/33/EC Decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Inorganic trace pollutants are studied in a coal-fired power station in China. • The aqueous (NH 4) 2 SO 4 slurry (pH 3.2) is enriched in inorganic trace pollutants. • NH 3 -FGD performance for the retention efficiency of trace pollutants is questioned. • Acidic conditions of the aqueous (NH 4) 2 SO 4 slurry could lead to low FGD efficiencies. • Operating conditions may affect Hg fate across the PCC-SCR-ESP-NH 3 -FGD. The behaviour and speciation of inorganic trace pollutants were studied in a 270 MWh coal-fired power station equipped with denitrification (DeNOx)-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR), electrostatic precipitators (ESP) and ammonia flue gas desulphurisation (NH 3 -FGD) controls. The aqueous (NH 4) 2 SO 4 slurry (pH 3.2) showed remarkably high concentrations of SO 4 2−, Cl−, Fe, NH 4 +, PO 4 3−, and F− and was substantially enriched in multiple trace pollutants, e.g. Mn, Ni, Zn, and As, which can be ascribed to the diffusion of gaseous pollutants released during combustion and to the partial dissolution of fly ash (FA) particles entrained in the flue gas FGD. These processes were favoured by the iteration of the FGD water re-circulation cycles within the scrubber. Three major unresolved performance issues remain for the NH 3 -FGD with respect to the retention efficiency of major and trace pollutants: (i) the high concentration of soluble salts and major and minor trace elements in the aqueous (NH 4) 2 SO 4 slurry could lead to entrainment of droplets and particles with the outgoing (OUT)-FGD gas; (ii) the ionic strength, as a result of the high concentration of the elements associated with soluble salts and major and minor elements, could lead to diminishing diffusivity of gaseous pollutants into the aqueous phase, where these are supposed to dissolve; and (iii) the acidic conditions of the aqueous (NH 4) 2 SO 4 slurry, caused by Fe-hydrolysis, could lead to low FGD efficiencies. Operating conditions at this power station affect Hg partitioning and fate across the PCC-SCR-ESP-NH 3- FGD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]