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Concentrations and modes of occurrence of trace elements in the Late Permian coals from the Puan Coalfield, southwestern Guizhou, China

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Abstract

The concentration, mode of occurrence, and origin of trace elements in the Late Permian coals from the Puan Coalfield, southwestern Guizhou, China, were examined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS), ion-selective electrode method (ISE), sequential chemical extraction procedure (SCEP), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), and optical microscope. Results show that minerals in the No. 2 Coal from the Puan Coalfield were mainly made up of epigenetic pyrite of low-temperature hydrothermal fluid origin and kaolinite of detrital terrigenous origin. Elements including As (36.9 µg/g), Cd (10.2 µg/g), Cr (167.3 µg/g), Cu (365.4 µg/g), Hg (2.82 µg/g), Mo (92.6 µg/g), Ni (82.6 µg/g), Pb (184.6 µg/g), Se (6.23 µg/g), Zn (242.3 µg/g), and U (132.7 µg/g) are significantly enriched in the No. 2 Coal from the Puan Coalfield. However, concentrations of trace elements in the other four coals, the No. 1, No. 8, No. 11, and No. 18 Coals, were close to the usual ranges found for Guizhou of China, China, and USA. Results of SEM-EDX and SCEP showed that As, Cd, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn occur mainly in veined pyrite, while Cr, Cu, and U distribute mainly in kaolinite, indicating that the low-temperature hydrothermal fluid and detrital materials of terrigenous origin are the main contributors to the enrichment of these trace elements in the No. 2 Coal.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Education Department (No.DK01jk145) and Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Science Department (2004D02). Special thanks were given to Professor Deyi Ren and Shifeng Dai for their constructive constructions. The author is grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their careful reviews and detailed comments.

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  1. Department of Material, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, 58 Yanta Road, Xi’an, 710054, China

    Jianye Yang

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Yang, J. Concentrations and modes of occurrence of trace elements in the Late Permian coals from the Puan Coalfield, southwestern Guizhou, China. Environ Geochem Health 28, 567–576 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-006-9055-z

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