Petrography, Mineralogy, and Geochemistry of Coals

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 2216

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Geological Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: coal; petrographical, mineral and inorganic chemical composition of the coal; waste products from coal preparation (slime, host rock, waters); environment; coal fairs, microorganisms

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Guest Editor
Institute of Geology, Komi Science Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 167982 Syktyvkar, Russia
Interests: gas; black shales; coal; geology; mineralogy; petrology; stable isotopes

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Guest Editor
Department of Geology and Exploration of Mineral Resources, University of Mining and Geology “St. Ivan Rilski”, 1700 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: geochemistry; geology; petrology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

"Whatever you didn't think about, it's not in the coal"—a spontaneously expressed thought of a colleague during the analysis of coal samples by SEM. Over 300 minerals have been identified in coal, most of which are accessory or nanophase. Mineral matter in coal not only carries genetic information but is also a concentrator of trace elements, which are important for the mining, beneficiation, and combustion of coal, as well as during the storage of waste products from these activities. Coal has been found to contain almost all the elements of the periodic table except for inert gases, technetium, and some radioactive elements such as Fr, Ac, and Po. The study of the inorganic chemical composition of coal is related to defining the mode of occurrence of the elements, their quantitative presence, economic value, and their migration behavior during the technological treatment of the coal. Some of the trace elements found in coal are considered valuable and/or critical while others are toxic depending on their impact on the environment and human health. Petrographic studies are the basis of organic petrology and coal geology. They provide information on the coal quality, coalification rate, coking and briquetting potential and paleoenvironmental deposition. It is proved that individual lithotypes have specific trace element concentration abilities, as well as these elements possibly occuring as organic compounds. There is an intimate relationship between organic matter and syngenetic minerals. The petrographic, mineral, and inorganic chemical compositions of coal are closely related, and their study provides both new fundamental knowledge and information for using coal as a source of critical/valuable elements. At present, some coal deposits are mined for Ge extraction. Coal still has a significant part in the energy sector in many countries around the world, which necessitates their petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical research.

Dr. Mariana G. Yossifova
Dr. Yakov E. Yudovich
Dr. Alexander Zdravkov
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • coal
  • petrology
  • mineral matter
  • geochemistry
  • trace elements

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 3666 KiB  
Article
Trace Elements in Pernik Sub-Bituminous Coals and Their Combustion Products Derived from the Republika Thermal Power Station, Bulgaria
by Mariana G. Yossifova, Greta M. Eskenazy, Stanislav V. Vassilev and Dimitrina A. Dimitrova
Minerals 2024, 14(3), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14030313 - 16 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1435
Abstract
The contents of 49 trace elements in sub-bituminous Pernik coals and their waste products from preparation and combustion processes were investigated. The studied coals have trace element contents higher than the respective Clarke values for brown coals and some of them may pose [...] Read more.
The contents of 49 trace elements in sub-bituminous Pernik coals and their waste products from preparation and combustion processes were investigated. The studied coals have trace element contents higher than the respective Clarke values for brown coals and some of them may pose environmental concerns. The elements Li, Rb, Cs, Ba, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Er, Ga, Zr, Sn, V, Nb, Ta, W, F, Cu, Zn, In, Pb, Cr, Co, Ni, and Th in the feed coals have concentrations that exceed twice the Clarke values. Most element contents in bottom ash are enriched compared with those in feed coal. Some of the volatile elements are equal or significantly depleted including Sn, Mo, Sb, F, Bi, Cd, Ge, and Pb. Fly ash has higher contents of Ga, Zr, Hf, Sn, V, Nb, Mo, and F in comparison with bottom ash. Most elements have a significant positive correlation with ash yield, indicating their inorganic association. The mixed wastes (coal slurry, bottom ash, and fly ash) in the disposal pond are slightly depleted of most of the elements studied with the exclusion of Cl, Ba, and Br. The Pernik coals and their waste products are unpromising for the extraction of REY due to their low element contents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Petrography, Mineralogy, and Geochemistry of Coals)
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