Inorganic constituents of coal and their impact on coal quality

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 87, No. 983, 1994

F. Goodarzi, Institute of Sedimentary and Petroleum Geology, Calgary, Alberta

The nature and distribution of the inorganic components and the concentration of certain environmentally sensitive elements, such as, As, Sb, B, Hr, Cd, CI, F, Mo, Pb, S, and Se, or elements detrimental to the utilization by industry such as B, Na, P and S are very important in determining coal quality. The concentration of elements in coal is controlled by the following factors: (1) frequency of occurrence of partings; (2) nature and habit of occurrence of minerals in coal; (3) environment of coal deposition; (4) rank; (5) geological setting; and (6) weathering. Selective mining of coal can reduce the input of undesirable elements such as As and S by eliminating the part of the seam which is enriched in these elements.

Keywords: Coal mining, Environmental control.