Geochemistry of Trace Elements in Coals from the Yueliangtian Mine

Nov 1, 2016 - This paper reports the geochemical compositions of coals and non-coal samples from a complete seam section in the Late Permian Longtan F...
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Geochemistry of Trace Elements in Coals from the Yueliangtian Mine, Western Guizhou, China: Abundances, Modes of Occurrence, and Potential Industrial Utilization Peipei Wang,*,†,‡ Xiaoyun Yan,†,‡ Wenmu Guo,†,‡ Siyu Zhang,†,‡ Zhen Wang,†,‡ Yaguang Xu,†,‡ and Lei Wang†,‡ †

State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology, China College of Geoscience and Survey Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 100083, China



ABSTRACT: This paper reports the geochemical compositions of coals and non-coal samples from a complete seam section in the Late Permian Longtan Formation from the Yueliangtian mine, western Guizhou, southwestern China. The abundances, modes of occurrence, and origin of elements and minerals in the Yueliangtian coal were investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The host rocks (roof and floor) and one parting sample of the coal seam have high TiO2 contents, which is in accordance with the high TiO2 content in the Emeishan basalt from the Kangdian Upland. The coal bench samples are rich in SiO2 (14.52%, whole-coal basis) compared with the average for the common Chinese coals, and the high SiO2 present in this study is consistent with the abundant quartz, which was mainly precipitated from siliceous solutions produced by weathering of the Emeishan basalt. Compared to the average values for world hard coals, the coal bench samples are enriched in V (77.0 μg/g), Cu (41.9 μg/g), Se (4.77 μg/g), Zr (93.8 μg/g), Hg (0.375 μg/g), and Pb (21.4 μg/g). In contrast to many other Permian coals from southwestern China, the transition elements, including Cr, Co, Ni, and Zn, are not enriched in the coal bench samples, possibly due to the input of the terrigenous materials with felsic and felsic-intermediate rock compositions. The highfield strength elements are relatively enriched not only in the parting samples but also in the adjacent coal bench samples, indicating that the partings were subjected to leaching by groundwater during the diagenetic process. Elements in coal, including B, Cr, Co, Zn, and Ni, are mainly associated with clay minerals, while As, Se, Sb, and Pb mainly occur in sulfide minerals (pyrite and marcasite). An intra-seam volcanic ash-derived tonstein layer identified in the coal is characterized by strong negative Eu anomaly in the Upper Continental Crust-normalized rare earth elements and Y distribution pattern, indicating the input of felsic or felsic-intermediate terrigenous materials. mainly composed of the Emeishan basalt,12,23,24,27 (2) the concentrations of Sr and Ba are relatively high in the Late Permian coals from the east part of southwestern China, probably due to the influence of seawater,27 (3) elements in the coal, including Al, Ti, Li, Ta, Th, Ga, U, Sn, Sc, Cr, Cu, Rb, Co, and Se, are associated with aluminosilicate minerals,23,24,27 and (4) the highfield strength elements (HFSEs), including Zr, Nb, Hf, REY, and U, occur not only in zircon but also in anatase.23 Most of previous studies have paid much attention to the Late Permian coals in southern Sichuan, Chongqing, and eastern Yunnan with limited studies related to the mineralogy and geochemistry of coals from western Guizhou,13,14,17,18,26−28 especially from the Yueliangtian coal mine, which is one of the most important mines in southwestern China. Wang et al.26 made a comparative study between the Late Permian coals from western Guizhou and eastern Yunnan, with an emphasis on the mineral compositions. In the present study, we reported the abundances and modes of occurrence of the trace elements in the coal benches, host rocks (roof and floor strata), and parting samples of a Late Permian coal seam from the Yueliangtian

1. INTRODUCTION The abundance and occurrence modes of trace elements in coal result from the interaction of the coal generation material with detrital input and circulated solutions in the coal basin1−4 along with the influence of the botanical, biochemical, and geological factors during the coal formation and epigenetic stages.1,4−6 Trace elements in coals from southwestern China have attracted much attention because they can provide not only geologic information about depositional conditions of coal and coalbearing sequences and regional tectonic history7,8 but also practical information for potential industrial utilization of rare metals (e.g., Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, rare earth elements and yttrium (REY, or REE if Y is not included), and Ga) during coal mining and combustion.4,8−11 Guizhou Province, known as “Southern Sea of Coal”, provides an important energy resource base for southwestern China. A number of investigations have been reported on the geochemical characteristics of the Late Permian coals in southwestern China,4,8,12−24 which have shown that the dominant sediment source region for these coals is the Kangdian Upland, located to the west of the studied coal basin.25,26 Previous studies have suggested that (1) trace elements, including V, Sc, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Zr, Nb, Hf, and Ta, are enriched in the Late Permian coals owing to the sediment-source Kangdian Upland, which is © 2016 American Chemical Society

Received: September 6, 2016 Revised: October 16, 2016 Published: November 1, 2016 10268

DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.6b02248 Energy Fuels 2016, 30, 10268−10281

Article

Energy & Fuels

Figure 1. Location of the Yueliangtian mine in western Guizhou Province, southwestern China (after Dai et al.12).

coal mine and discussed geological factors that may have significantly influenced the geochemical and mineralogical compositions of the coal seam. Due to their unique chemical properties, REY have been widely used in various fields, such as electronics, aviation, atomic energy, metallurgy, magnetic materials, transportation, agriculture, and medicine.7 The ever-increasing demand of REY has stimulated an emphasis on economically feasible approaches for REY recovery. In the present study, a comparison of REY concentrations between the Yueliangtian coal and the conventional rare-metal ore deposits was carried out to estimate the potential of Yueliangtian coal as REY raw materials.

2. GEOLOGICAL SETTING The Yueliangtian coal mine is located in western Guizhou Province (Figure 1), and the coal reserves in this coal mine are estimated to be 157.19 Mt as of 2008. The Upper Permian Longtan Formation, deposited in a continental-marine transitional environment, is the major coal-bearing sequence in the Yueliangtian mine, mainly made up of fine sandstone, siltstone, pelitic siltstone, silty mudstone, mudstone, and coal seams. The Longtan Formation is conformably overlain by the Triassic strata and disconformably underlain by the Emeishan basalts. The lowermost portion of the Longtan Formation is a bauxite layer occurring between the Longtan Formation and the Emeishan basalts (Figure 2). The Kangdian Upland, consisting of Emeishan basalts in the lower section and a few felsicintermediate rocks in the upper section, is the dominant sediment source for the coal-bearing strata in the study area.29−33 The coal-bearing strata contain 12 minable coal seams, among which the no. 19 coal is one of the most important workable seams in this area. The no. 19 coal seam is located in the middle section of the Longtan Formation with an average thickness of 1.32 m. It contains relatively abundant discrete particles and fracture-fillings of pyrite.17,26

Figure 2. Sedimentary sequences in the Yueliangtian mine (after Wang et al.26). 10269

DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.6b02248 Energy Fuels 2016, 30, 10268−10281

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Table 1. Ash Yield (%), Volatile Matter (%), Total Sulfur (%), Forms of Sulfur (%), and Mean Random Vitrinite Reflectance (%) of the No. 19 Coal Samples and Data for Quartz, Clay Minerals, and Sulfide Minerals (wt %) in All Coal Low-Temperature Ash and Non-coal Samplesa clay minerals sample YLT19-1r YLT19-2c YLT19-3c YLT19-4c YLT19-5p YLT19-6c YLT19-7c YLT19-8p YLT19-9c YLT19-10c YLT19-11c YLT19-12f

thickness (cm) 20 24 26 4 20 20 5 20 20 20

Ad 36.02 19.44 15.32

Vdaf 26.31 16.68 31.5

Cdaf 88.16 89.21 87.03

St,d

Sp,d

0.28 0.35 0.53

Ro,ran nd nd 1.05

40.37 22.74

35.67 30.43

83.84 87.09

4.14 2.02

3.51 1.71

1.03 1.03

19.58 12.87 19.38

32.34 29.38 30.55

84.68 90.56 89.14

4.76 0.85 1

3.93

1.01 1.04 0.96

Qu

Kao

9.1 82.5 62.5 52.4 5.3 7.7 28.3 9.2 25.5 39.2 17.7 6.3

34.9 17 19.2 34.9 72.1 67.1 57 90.8 44.4 52 70.6 27.9

illite

I/S

sulfide minerals Cha

10.3 12.9

4.2

Py

Mar

1.5 7.2 5.8 5.4

1.9 4.7 8.4

23.4 2.5 2

5.5 4.4 4.1

48.9

a

Data compiled from Wang et al.26 A, ash yield; V, volatile matter yield; St, total sulfur; Sp, pyritic sulfur; Ss, sulfate sulfur; So, organic sulfur; ad, airdry basis; d, dry basis; daf, dry and ash-free basis; Ro,ran, average vitrinite random reflectance; Qu, Quartz; Kao, Kaolinite; I/S, mixed-layer illite/ smectite; Cha, Chamosite; Py, Pyrite; Mar, Marcasite; nd, not detected.

world hard coal40 were also listed in this table for comparative purposes. Compared to the average values for Chinese coals,8 SiO2 and TiO2 are enriched in the no. 19 coal. However, the concentrations of the major-element oxides, including Al2O3, Fe2O3, MnO, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, and P2O5, are much lower. Compared to the average values for world hard coals,39 elements V, Cu, Se, Zr, Hg, and Pb are slightly enriched (2 < CC < 5) (CC, concentration coefficient, the ratio of trace element concentration in coal samples investigated to averages for world hard coals41); some elements, including B, F, Rb, Sr, Cs, Ba, Tl, and Bi, are depleted (CC < 0.5). The remaining elements (0.5 < CC < 2) are close to the average values for world hard coals (Figure 3A). Compared to the average values for world clays,42 the partings are significantly enriched in Se and Hg (10 < CC < 100); Bi (CC = 5.34) in the partings is enriched, and elements Li (CC = 3.60), Ga (CC = 2.11), Nb (CC = 3.61), Mo (CC = 4.09), Sn (CC = 2.14), and Ta (CC = 2.08) are slightly enriched. The remaining elements (0.5 < CC < 2) are either close to the average values for world clays or depleted (Figure 3B). On the basis of the correlation coefficient (r) between elemental concentration and ash yield, the determined elements in the no. 19 coal can be classified into three groups: (a) elements with relatively high correlation coefficients (r > 0.75), including Be, F, Sc, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Zr, Cd, In, Ba, and Hf and indicating a high inorganic affinity; (b) the correlation coefficient of these elements such as Li, B, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Nb, Sn, Cs, Ta, Bi, Th, and U, which ranges from 0.43 to 0.63, suggesting a prevailing inorganic affinity; and (c) the remaining elements, including Ge, As, Se, Mo, Sb, Hg, Tl, and Pb, which have negative or low positive correlation coefficients, indicating an organic−inorganic affinity.43 The high correlation coefficients for Ga−Ash (r = 0.95), Ga−SiO2 (r = 0.83), Ga−Al2O3 (r = 0.94), Zr−Ash (r = 0.91), Zr−SiO2 (r = 0.81), Zr−Al2O3 (r = 0.84), Hf−Ash (r = 0.92), Hf−SiO2 (r = 0.81), and Hf−Al2O3 (r = 0.87) indicate that the elements Ga, Zr, and Hf may occur mainly in the kaolinite.44,45 Moreover, elements Zr, Hf, Th, and U, as well as the LREY show similar variations through the no. 19 coal section (Figure 4), suggesting the same occurrence mode of these elements.4,34

3. SAMPLES AND ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES A total of 12 bench samples, including 8 coal benches, 2 partings, 1 roof, and 1 floor sample, were collected from the no. 19 coal seam at the Yueliangtian coal mine. The bench sample was cut over an area 10 cm wide and 10 cm deep. Each sample was milled to 200 mesh prior to further geochemical analyses. Each coal bench sample was subjected to low temperature ashing; after that, the low temperature ashes (LTAs) and non-coal samples (roof, floor, and partings) were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Quantitative analysis of minerals was conducted using the Siroquant technique. The scanning electron microscopy equipped with energydispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) was used to identify the mineral phases in the polished coal pellets. Details of the XRD and SEM-EDS techniques have been described in Wang et al.26 The percentage of major element oxides, including SiO2, TiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MnO, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, and P2O5, was determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry on high-temperature ashes (HTAs, 815 °C). Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to determine the concentrations of trace elements following the method described by Dai et al.34,35 and Li et al.36 Fluorine was determined by pyrohydrolysis combined with an ionselective electrode based on ASTM method D5987-96 (2002).37 A Milestone direct mercury analyzer (DMA-80) was used to analyze mercury in the samples. The detection limit of Hg is 0.005 ng, and the linearity of the calibration is in the range 0−1000 ng.38

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.1. Coal Characteristics. Table 1 lists the ash yield, volatile matter, total sulfur, forms of sulfur, and mean random vitrinite reflectance of the no. 19 coal samples, as well as quartz, clay minerals, and sulfide minerals in the coal LTAs and host rock samples, as reported by Wang et al.26 According to the classification of the American Society for Testing and Materials,39 the samples present in this study are medium volatile bituminous coal. The coals have medium ash yields and sulfur contents. The percentage of total sulfur in the middle and lower benches is obviously higher than that in the upper benches. As indicated in Table 1, pyritic sulfur is the dominant form in the middle and lower benches, in accordance with the relatively high content of sulfide minerals (pyrite and marcasite). 4.2. Geochemical Associations. The concentrations of major-element oxides and trace elements in the no. 19 coal are given in Table 2. Average values for Chinese coals8 and 10270

DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.6b02248 Energy Fuels 2016, 30, 10268−10281

80.54

87.39

81.08

YLT19-9c

YLT19-10c

YLT19-11c

10271

SiO2

0.65

2.4

1.57

1.31

1.61

1.76

1.73

2.07

1.38

2.89

3.16

1.62

0.91

0.62

2.27

Ge

1.71

8.47v

14.52

44.81

10.06

8.33

10.05

41.56

13.45

18.54

29.90

10.38

12.70

32.64

46.47

TiO2

1.95

8.3

16.2

0.87

1.41

1.75

88.5

0.37

4.65

28.1

17.9

1.01

1.20

2.62

2.47

As

1.46

0.33v

0.48

5.37

0.76

0.21

0.13

0.53

0.26

1.96

3.39

0.23

0.13

0.17

6.53

Al2O3

3.67

1.3

4.77

1.55

3.14

3.68

17.0

2.31

3.57

5.94

9.34

1.81

1.65

1.32

4.57

Se

0.76

5.98v

4.54

23.54

5.58

2.88

3.99

28.40

5.55

12.27

20.02

2.14

1.94

1.99

23.94

0.07

18

1.19

9.99

1.97

0.05

0.08

1.82

0.55

5.40

16.8

0.40

0.51

0.58

29.2

Rb

0.41

4.85v

1.99

5.90

1.78

0.62

4.89

0.88

2.44

5.27

5.87

0.43

0.38

0.13

2.99

Fe2O3

MnO

0.49

100

48.7

366

41.4

21.0

15.8

13.6

25.4

137

177

50.2

69.5

29.1

315

Sr

0.25

0.015v

0.004

0.004

0.003

0.002

0.001

0.001

0.002

0.008

0.019

0.006

0.009

0.001

0.012

2.60

36

93.8

581

130

51.8

54.5

238

85.3

275

488

48.3

20.9

84.7

677

Zr

0.40

0.22v

0.09

1.40

0.16

0.03

0.06

0.16

0.06

0.21

0.38

0.05

0.08

0.05

1.06

MgO

CaO

2.01

4

8.05

11.3

1.87

4.78

4.47

17.4

7.07

36.4

67.5

5.42

2.28

2.11

95.1

Nb

0.48

1.23v

0.59

0.40

0.21

0.23

0.10

0.09

0.19

0.28

0.19

1.05

2.51

0.12

0.95

Na2O

1.26

2.1

2.65

0.07

0.66

0.56

4.04

0.69

2.23

11.2

13.8

1.17

0.95

0.33

3.15

Mo

0.32

0.160v

0.050

0.623

0.051

0.030

0.030

0.230

0.049

0.137

0.230

0.043

0.028

0.036

0.572

K2O

1.06

0.2

0.21

0.97

0.26

0.10

0.22

0.33

0.20

0.64

1.06

0.09

0.06

0.13

1.09

Cd

0.22

0.190v

0.042

1.434

0.064

0.009

0.010

0.126

0.028

0.155

0.463

0.022

0.021

0.026

1.384

P2O5

0.84

0.04

0.034

0.147

0.044

0.028

0.032

0.089

0.032

0.084

0.139

0.012

bdl

0.004

0.158

In

0.21

0.092v

0.019

0.115

0.017

0.011

0.015

0.039

0.012

0.056

0.048

0.010

0.016

0.017

0.499

Li

0.65

1.4

0.91

0.48

bdl

0.68

0.93

9.75

1.38

2.76

4.64

0.39

0.10

0.17

5.43

Sn

1.16

14

16.2

26.9

27.3

19.6

19.1

303

23.9

27.3

58.6

4.55

3.11

4.99

24.7

Be

1.28

1

1.28

0.01

0.02

0.34

6.83

0.31

0.60

0.83

0.61

0.20

0.15

bdl

0.24

Sb

0.88

2

1.75

4.44

2.21

1.95

1.50

2.17

1.46

2.24

2.82

2.09

1.62

0.94

3.21

B

F

Ba

0.25

82

20.7

408

25.1

11.8

11.0

124

15.5

71.7

179

11.3

12.8

6.65

772

37.9

31.5

52.3

41.3

65.3

21.9

21.7

63.7

0.06

1.1

0.065

0.37

150

55.2

0.572 349

0.074

bdl

bdl

bdl

0.045

0.262 170

0.384 336

0.003

0.003

0.003

1.307 516

Cs

0.11

47

5.20

13.9

2.54

4.58

2.20

10.8

18.3

4.36

7.14

0.91

bdl

3.58

11.9

Sc

1.99

1.2

2.38

12.9

2.83

1.55

1.75

6.90

2.54

7.06

11.4

1.36

0.60

1.39

16.1

Hf

1.21

3.7

4.46

35.9

6.34

4.13

4.00

7.77

3.74

5.78

24.3

4.36

2.24

5.13

27.3

V

1.62

0.3

0.49

0.68

0.09

0.33

0.29

2.20

0.47

2.39

3.79

0.14

0.10

0.07

5.17

Ta

2.75

28

77.0

134

111

32.6

28.5

27.0

63.9

240

327

52.1

25.9

62.4

532

Cr

3.75

0.1

0.375

0.607

0.211

0.235

0.926

0.542

0.438

1.139

1.477

0.033

0.010

0.005

0.040

Hg

1.32

17

22.4

119

37.5

13.1

9.02

5.76

14.1

59.8

120

15.8

13.0

16.6

355

Co

Ni

20.9

14.5

13.1

17.8

3.21

2.64

6.07

8.59

Pb

1.71

17

29.0

81.8

17.2

5.87

10.4

3.50

19.2

66.7

131

32.6

41.0

39.2

165

0.43

0.58

0.248

0.052

0.026

0.002

2.38

9

25.8

19.0

19.6

Bi

Th

0.29

1.42

0.68

1.1

0.75

8.37

8.35

3.94

3.65

7.20

4.63 1.45

3.2

12.0 45.4

17.6

10.2

9.65

13.7

14.5

1.17

1.9

2.23

5.26

1.98

0.91

4.69

9.62

3.09

5.44

6.99

0.98

0.33

0.40

3.11

U

0.61

28

17.2

190

2.40

18.5

8.22 19.9 104

1.11

1.36 51.0

2.78

0.39

Zn 234

1.98

2.86 16.9

0.04

0.13

0.16

4.67 11.4

2.62

16

41.9

267

43.6

24.4

32.2

9.82

38.5

132

140

9.37 bdl 21.4

Cu 247

5.99 bdl

7.16

0.188 118

0.020

0.181

1.086

0.996

0.002

bdl

bdl

0.074

Tl

1.79

6

10.7

31.8

6.20

2.34

3.65

1.42

6.42

29.7

73.3

14.4

13.2

9.97

105

LOI, loss on ignition; bdl, below detection limit; nd, no data; CC, concentration coefficient. bAverages for coal bench samples. vAverages for Chinese coals (data from Dai et al.8). dAverages for world hard coals (data from Ketris and Yudovich40). eThe ratio of major element oxides in coal samples to averages for Chinese coals and trace element concentration in coal samples to averages for world hard coals.

a

1.10

6

worldd

CC

6.59

averageb

e

9.72

42.8

YLT19-12f

3.70

YLT19-11c

5.30

YLT19-10c

19.8

YLT19-6c

YLT19-9c

38.0

YLT19-5p

6.67

3.28

YLT19-4c

30.5

2.78

YLT19-3c

YLT19-8p

1.50

YLT19-2c

YLT19-7c

Ga

45.7

sample

YLT19-1r

nd

27.84

YLT19-8p

CCe

77.69

YLT19-7c

nd

60.63

YLT19-6c

Worldd

38.23

YLT19-5p

15.65

84.82

YLT19-4c

77.18

80.67

YLT19-3c

Averageb

64.62

YLT19-2c

YLT19-12f

LOI

14.58

sample

YLT19-1r

Table 2. Concentrations of Major Element Oxides (%) and Trace Elements (μg/g) in the Coals, Partings, and Host Rocksa

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DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.6b02248 Energy Fuels 2016, 30, 10268−10281

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Figure 3. CC of trace elements in the no. 19 coal. (A) Normalized by average trace element concentrations in world hard coals.40 (B) Normalized by average trace element concentrations in world clays.42

Figure 4. Concentration variations of transition elements and HFSEs as well as ash yield through the no. 19 coal seam section. LREY: La, Ce, Pr, Nd, and Sm. MREY: Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, and Y. HREY: Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu.

floor (YLT19-12f), and parting sample (YLT19-5p) are 7.64, 6.37, and 5.49%, respectively, much higher than that in the intra-seam volcanic ash-derived tonstein layer (sample YLT19-8p). The ratio of TiO2/Al2O3 is a useful indicator to track the source of detrital sedimentary rocks and volcanic ash-originated intraseam tonsteins due to their stability of Ti and Al during the weathering process.13,33,38,52−54 Generally, the TiO2/Al2O3 values for felsic, intermediate, and mafic tonsteins are 0.08,12,13,34 respectively. As indicated in Figure 5A, both the host rocks (roof and floor) and parting YLT19-5p have high TiO2/Al2O3 values (0.27, 0.23, and 0.17, respectively), consistent with the high Ti concentration in these three samples and indicating a mafic composition for the terrigenous source rocks. However, the parting sample YLT19-8p has a TiO2/Al2O3 ratio of 1), M-type (MREY; LaN/SmN < 1, GdN/LuN > 1), and H-type (H-REY; LaN/ LuN < 1).70 In addition, a mixed type of REY enrichment also occurred in the no. 19 coal based on the classification. The REY enrichment patterns in most coal benches (YLT192c, YLT19-4c, YLT19-7c, and YLT19-10c) are characterized by H-type enrichment (Figure 9A). The REY in coal samples YLT19-3c and YLT19-9c have similar distribution patterns,

from Guangxi province, southwestern China.46 The concentration of Hg in the coal bench samples of the no. 19 coal varies from 0.005 to 1.139 μg/g with an average value of 0.375 μg/g, much higher than the average value for both Chinese coals (0.163 μg/g)8 and world hard coals (0.1 μg/g).40 4.3.5. Niobium, Ta, Zr, Hf, Th, and U. Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, Th, and U are known as HFSEs. Nb and Zr are slightly enriched in the coals, while the concentrations of the remaining elements are close to the average value of the world hard coals. It is noted that the concentrations of Nb Ta, Zr, Hf, Th, and U are higher in the coal bench samples YLT9-6c and YLT19-7c, interlayered between the parting samples YLT19-5p and YLT19-8p, than those in other coal samples (Figure 4). A possible interpretation is that the HFSEs were leached from the overlying parting by groundwater and immediately incorporated into the organic matter.67 The highfield strength elements show significantly positive correlations with SiO2 and Al2O3 (Table 3), indicating that these elements in the no. 19 coal are associated with aluminosilicates (e.g., clay minerals). Alternatively, the positive correlations between the HFSEs and Al2O3 in coal probably reflect a common source. Positive correlations between these high field strength elements and clay minerals (the sum of kaolinite, illite, mixed-layer illite/smectite, and chamosite) are shown in Figure 8, suggesting that these highfield strength elements are mainly associated with clay minerals. 4.4. Rare Earth Elements and Yttrium (REY). 4.4.1. Distribution Patterns of REY in Coal and Host Rocks. The REY 10275

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Figure 8. Relation of: Nb to clay minerals, Ta to clay minerals, Zr to clay minerals, Hf to clay minerals, Th to clay minerals, and U to clay minerals.

Table 4. Concentrations of Rare Earth Elements and Y in the Coals, Partings, and Host Rocksa element

YLT19-1r

YLT19-2c

YLT19-3c

YLT19-4c

YLT19-5p

YLT19-6c

YLT19-7c

YLT19-8p

YLT19-9c

YLT19-10c

YLT19-11c

YLT19-12f

La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Y Ho Er Tm Yb Lu REY REYb REO REOb δEu δCe LaN/LuN LaN/SmN GdN/LuN type

80.6 199 21.4 83.1 14.7 3.79 14.2 1.71 8.98 40.3 1.63 4.56 0.60 3.99 0.52 479 561 576 674 1.34 1.09 1.56 0.82 2.17 L-M

9.91 15.3 1.63 6.15 1.01 0.31 1.18 0.18 1.29 6.28 0.25 0.79 0.11 0.77 0.11 45.3 128 54.4 154 1.39 0.85 0.88 1.47 0.83 H

9.15 20.5 2.58 10.3 2.03 0.53 1.98 0.26 1.48 6.07 0.27 0.80 0.11 0.76 0.11 56.9 294 68.3 353 1.34 0.96 0.83 0.68 1.42 M-H

5.13 9.56 1.17 4.83 1.11 0.32 1.30 0.21 1.47 6.94 0.30 0.95 0.14 0.94 0.13 34.5 227 41.5 274 1.29 0.89 0.40 0.69 0.81 H

71.2 149 16.2 63.2 12.0 2.92 12.1 1.53 8.59 38.3 1.47 3.98 0.50 3.31 0.43 385 623 463 749 1.24 1.00 1.65 0.89 2.21 L-M

34.6 76.3 7.72 30.8 5.59 1.33 5.63 0.70 3.90 15.4 0.71 2.03 0.27 1.85 0.26 187 475 225 571 1.21 1.06 1.35 0.93 1.73 L-M

9.91 23.9 2.76 11.2 2.47 0.50 2.86 0.49 3.30 15.8 0.68 2.16 0.31 2.15 0.30 78.8 353 95.0 426 0.88 1.04 0.34 0.60 0.76 H

84.0 155 21.3 80.8 16.3 2.17 15.7 1.86 7.99 18.6 1.09 2.59 0.31 2.14 0.30 410 568 490 680 0.70 0.83 2.85 0.77 4.21 L-M

36.7 79.5 9.01 34.3 7.30 1.16 8.39 1.31 8.09 38.6 1.55 4.58 0.61 4.08 0.57 236 1212 284 1459 0.71 1.00 0.64 0.75 1.16 M-H

11.8 26.4 3.08 11.9 2.70 0.55 3.22 0.55 3.79 20.2 0.77 2.40 0.33 2.24 0.31 90.3 716 109 864 0.87 1.00 0.38 0.66 0.81 H

16.4 39.8 4.24 16.4 3.38 0.77 3.37 0.47 2.70 9.29 0.48 1.36 0.18 1.18 0.16 100 529 120 636 1.12 1.09 1.04 0.73 1.68 L-M

154 338 40.8 167 30.0 7.05 25.7 2.82 13.9 59.2 2.34 6.38 0.81 5.43 0.73 855 1013 1025 1216 1.30 0.97 2.11 0.77 2.77 L-M

Units: μg/g on whole-coal basis. REY, sum of rare earth elements and yttrium; REO, sum of oxides of rare earth elements and yttrium. bValues on an ash basis. δEu = EuN/(0.67 × SmN + 0.33 × TbN). δCe = 2CeN/(LaN + PrN). N, values normalized by the average REY content of Upper Continental Crust.70 a

possibly related to natural waters.71,73,74 The coal bench samples YLT19-6c and YLT19-11c as well as the roof, floor, and two parting samples have a L-M-type enrichment (Figures 9C and D).

both characterized by M-H-type enrichment (Figure 9B). The H-type enrichment found in the no. 19 coal was probably due to the injection of hydrothermal solutions, while the M-type was 10276

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Figure 9. REY distribution patterns in the coal benches, partings, and host rocks of the no. 19 coal. REY plots are normalized by Upper Continental Crust (UCC).72

in the Yueliangtian coal ashes (Figure 10). The y-axis is the percentage of critical elements (Nd, Eu, Tb, Dy, Y, and Er) in

The coal bench samples in the present study show no pronounced Ce, slight positive Eu, and distinct negative Y anomalies in the UCC-normalized distribution pattern. However, sample YLT19-9c has the highest REY concentration relative to other coal bench samples and the strongest negative Eu anomaly among the coal bench samples (Figure 9B). As reported by Dai et al.,71 the distinct negative Eu anomalies in coals were attributed to the input of felsic or felsic-intermediate terrigenous materials. The REY distribution patterns for the parting (YLT19-5p) and host rocks (YLT19-1r and YLT19-12f) are characterized by distinct positive Eu anomalies (Figure 9D). The similar REY distribution patterns of these samples indicate that the materials of the parting and host rocks were derived from the same sediment source-region. However, parting sample (YLT198p) shows strong negative Eu anomaly (Figure 9D), distinctly different from the parting sample YLT19-5p and host rocks, also suggesting the input of felsic or felsic-intermediate rocks.26,71 4.4.2. Potential Industrial Value of REY in Coal Ashes. The important role of REY in either power or energy-efficient technologies has generated a situation where the demand for REY materials exceeds the supply and has led to a global contest to discover new sources.75 Because coal deposits are expected to promote comprehensive utilization as REY raw materials,8,70,76−80 it is significant to evaluate these potential resources during coal mining and combustion.70,79,81−83 The average REY concentration in the no. 19 coal ash is 558 μg/g (or 0.08% REY oxides, REO). However, the REY concentrations of sample YLT19-9c and YLT19-12f are 1212 μg/g (or 0.15% REY oxides, REO) and 1013 μg/g (or 0.12% REY oxides, REO), respectively, which is higher than the typical REY cut-off grade (0.1% REO) in coal combustion wastes for byproduct recovery.70 A REYdef, rel-Coutl graph, proposed by Seredin and Dai,70 has been adopted to evaluate the potential industrial value of REY

Figure 10. REYdef,rel-Coutl plot for the no. 19 coal ashes, partings, and host rocks. Area I, unpromising; Area II, promising; Area III, highly promising. REYdef,rel is the percentage of critical elements (Nd, Eu, Tb, Dy, Y, and Er) in the total REY; Coutl is the ratio of the relative amount of critical REY metals in the REY sum to the relative amount of excessive REY (Ce, Ho, Tm, Yb, and Lu). 10277

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Dai et al.85 and Tian et al.87 reported abundant ultrafine quartz in Xuanwei coals, probably related to the lung cancer in some townships in Xuanwei County; however, there have not been any reports on human health associated with the abundant quartz in the Yueliangtian coals from Panxian Country in the present study. Even so, the quartz-rich coals in the Yueliangtian coal mine are still worth further studies because the high percentages of quartz may lead to the corrosion of furnaces during the process of coal combustion.88

the total REY (REYdef, rel), and the x-axis represents the ratio of the amount of critical REY metals in the REY sum to the relative amount of excessive REY (Ce, Ho, Tm, Yb, and Lu). The Yueliangtian coal ashes fall mostly in area II of the graph, indicating that the coal ashes can be regarded as promising REY raw materials especially for the recovery of critical elements (Nd, Eu, Tb, Dy, Y, and Er) (Figure 10). 4.5. Associations between Quartz and Selected Elements. Because the mineralogical characteristics of quartz have been discussed in detail by Wang et al.26 in the previous paper, the abundance, occurrence modes, and origin of quartz are introduced very briefly in this paper. As shown in Table 1, the proportion of quartz is significantly high in most coal bench samples. Quartz in the no. 19 coal occurs mainly as two forms: (1) as small irregular particles (mostly ∼10 μm and, in a few cases, >100 μm in size, Figures 11A−C)

5. CONCLUSIONS The coal bench samples in the present study are enriched in V, Cu, Se, Zr, Hg, and Pb, while the non-coal samples are enriched in Li, Ga, Se, Nb, Mo, Sn, Ta, and Hg. The elements were classified into three groups based on the correlation coefficient between elemental concentration and ash yield. B, Cr, Co, Zn, and Ni are mainly associated with clay minerals. Sr and Ba are of terrigenous origin from the Kangdian Upland mafic basalt. As, Se, Sb, and Pb mainly occur in both pyrite and marcasite. The high concentrations of HFSEs in the coal bench samples near the partings are due to leaching by groundwater. In contrast to many Late Permian coals from southwestern China, the REY enrichment patterns of the coal benches in the present study are characterized by alternative H-type and M-H-type enrichment, indicating the influence of natural waters or hydrothermal solutions. The parting sample YLT19-8p, identified as tonstein layers in the coal, is characterized by strong negative Eu anomaly in its REY distribution pattern, suggesting the input of felsic or felsic-intermediate rocks. The no. 19 coal from the Yueliangtian mine and its floor strata can be regarded as potential sources for rare earth elements and Y.



AUTHOR INFORMATION

Corresponding Author

*E-mail: [email protected].

Figure 11. Quartz in the no. 19 coal: (A) Scattered quartz in the collodetrinite (reflected light), (B) quartz in the collodetrinite (reflected light), (C) terrigenous detrital quartz (reflected light), and (D) cell-filling quartz in semifusinite (reflected light).

Notes

The authors declare no competing financial interest.



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research was supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant 2014CB238902), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 41420104001 and 41272182), and the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (Grant IRT13099). The authors greatly thank Prof. Shifeng Dai for his constructive comments, which greatly improved the quality of the paper.

dispersedly distributed in collodetrinite and (2) as cell-fillings of the structured macerals (Figure 11D).26 The modes of occurrence clearly indicate that the quartz in coal is mainly of authigenic origin and to a lesser extent was derived from detrital materials of terrigenous origin. Ward84 has summarized that the authigenic quartz is formed by the silica that either probably released from siliceous phytoliths or leached from the basement rocks or volcanic ashes. In addition, the authigenic quartz may be precipitated from siliceous hydrothermal solutions.12,85 As discussed by Wang et al.,26 the percentage of SiO2 in the no. 19 coal is relatively high in addition to the ratio of SiO2/Al2O3 in accordance with the high percentages of quartz. The upper coal benches (samples YLT19-2c, YLT19-3c, and YLT19-4c) with the major mineral compositions of quartz and, to a lesser extent, kaolinite (Table 1), contain relatively low concentrations of highfield strength elements and REY (Table 4). Wang et al.26 reported that the abundant authigenic quartz in the no. 19 coal is probably precipitated from silica-bearing solutions derived from weathering of the Emeishan basalt in the Kangdian Upland,7,20 while the kaolinite is derived from the weathering residues of the Emeishan basalt.20,86 Because the HFSEs and REY are associated with clay minerals (e.g., kaolinite), this could provide indirect evidence for the terrigenous origin of these trace elements.



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DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.6b02248 Energy Fuels 2016, 30, 10268−10281