Assessment of the Microelement Distribution among the Structural Components of Coal

Abstract

Abstract—Methods have been developed for statistical assessment of the distribution of the gross content of microelements among the main components of the coal. Thus, by a process of resolution, a series of concentrations is obtained: in the initial coal → in the mineral component → in the organic matter of the coal (I) → in the organic matter of the coal series, such as humic acids (II) → in the organic matter of the biochemical series (III). The gross content of a microelement in the initial coal must be regarded as the sum of its concentrations in different components: the concentration in the mineral component due to clastic mineral impurity; the concentration in organic component (I), which is the sum of the concentrations created by organic matter in the coal itself and the infiltration–organic concentration; and the bioorganic concentration, associated with coalification of the biomass (III). The details of these distributions are considered. As an illustration, the gross content of germanium is analyzed to determine the germanium concentrations in the main components of coal from the Pogranichnoe and Irgensk fields of the Zabaikal region.