Abstract
The objective of the study was the analysis of trace elements contents in coals of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB), which may pose a potential threat to the environment when emitted from coal processing systems. Productive carbon overburden in central and southern zones of the USCB is composed mostly of insulating tertiary formations of a thickness from a few m to 1,100 m, and is represented by Miocene and Pliocene formations. In the data study the geological conditions of the coal seams of particular zones of the USCB were taken into account and the hierarchical clustering analysis was applied, which enabled the exploration of the dissimilarities between coal samples of various zones of the USCB in terms of basic physical and chemical parameters and trace elements contents. Coals of the northern and eastern zones of the USCB are characterized by high average Hg and low average Ba, Cr, and Ni contents, whereas coals of southern and western zones are unique due to high average concentrations of Ba, Co, Cu, Ni, and V. Coals of the central part of the USCB are characterized by the highest average concentration of Mn and the lowest average concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, V, and Zn.
Highlights
Coal is considered to be the dominant fossil fuel in terms of the world energy supplies security
Coal samples of the eastern and the western zones of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB) are characterized by relatively higher average contents of Hg, As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Rb, V, and Zn than the remaining coal samples
The highest average concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn are observed for samples of the western part (15.94, 0.90, 131.57, and 147.52 ppm, resp.), whereas the highest average contents of Cr, Rb, and V are reported for coal samples of the eastern zone of the USCB (26.88, 32.86, and 70.10 ppm, resp.)
Summary
Coal is considered to be the dominant fossil fuel in terms of the world energy supplies security. Poland is the eighth world coal producer (71.34 mln Mg/year of hard coal and 64.30 mln Mg/year of lignite in 2012) [2]. Clean Coal Technologies (CCT) are developed to mitigate the negative environmental impact of coal processing in the energy sector. Recognition of the modes of occurrence of trace elements in coal is crucial in understanding their chemical, thermal, and environmental behaviors in the processes of coal treatment and thermochemical conversion [14, 15]. The information on geochemical characteristics of coal seam as well as the chemical and elemental composition is fundamental for efficient utilization of coal and reduction of its negative environmental impact [16]. The behavior of trace elements depends on coal types [17, 18] and on the operating parameters of the combustion process. High combustion temperatures and reducing atmosphere promote the release of trace metals [19]
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