Distribution of rare earth elements and other critical elements in beneficiated Pennsylvania anthracites

FUEL

卷:304

Article

Hower, James C.^1,2  Eble, Cortland F.³  Wang, Na^4,5  Dai, Shifeng^4,5 

[1] Univ Kentucky, Ctr Appl Energy Res, 2540 Res Pk Dr, Lexington, KY 40511 USA

[2] Univ Kentucky, Dept Earth & Environm Sci, Lexington, KY 40506 USA

[3] Univ Kentucky, Kentucky Geol Survey, Lexington, KY 40506 USA

[4] China Univ Min & Technol Beijing, State Key Lab Coal Resources & Safe Min, Beijing, Peoples R China

[5] China Univ Min & Technol Beijing, Coll Geosci & Survey Engn, Beijing 100083, Peoples R China

关键词: Lanthanides;    Critical elements;    Lithium;    Coal;    Beneficiation;    Macerals;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.fuel.2021.121400

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

The Pennsylvania Anthracite Fields are in a complex tectonic and metamorphic terrain, historically hosting one of the largest concentrations of coal mining in the USA. Anthracite mining now largely consists of the surface mining of the pillars remaining from the prime years of underground mining. The geochemical study of the sized coal products and the refuse (largely rock) from three preparation plants (breakers) demonstrates that Principal components analysis (PCA) of select major oxide, minor element, and rare earth elements illustrates some differentiation among the products from the individual plants. The rock samples, with abundant quartz and metamorphic Al-Si minerals and with a lower ash-basis REE concentration than the coals, were distinctly separated from the coal samples on the PCA plots. Plots of Gd-N/Gd-N* vs. Eu-N/Eu-N* and Ce-N/Ce-N* vs. Eu-N/Eu-N* showed differentiation between the individual suites of coals showed that the refuse samples had distinct REE distributions compared to the associated coals. Several minor and trace elements show enrichments in the coal samples. Lithium, with concentrations of up to 314 ppm on an ash basis, is among the most promising of the critical elements, exceeding the enrichment of the REY and Sc.

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