Czech and Slovak young brown coals in environmental applications

Pavel Janoš,Juraj Lesný,Lucia Závodská,Lucie Herzogová,Silvie Kříženecká

doi:10.36547/nbc.1363

Abstract

In recent time, various kinds of young brown (low-rank) coals are utilized increasingly not only as fuels, but also as valuable materials in advanced environmental applications. It should be noted in this context that significant deposits of the young brown coals can be found both in the Czech Republic as well as in Slovakia. For their effective applications e.g. in wastewater treatment or in soil remediation, the properties of the coals should be studied in more details and numerous physico-chemical characteristics should be measured. As a part of a common Czech-Slovak project, a series of various kinds of coals was collected, including North-Bohemian oxihumolites, lignite from South Moravia and several lignites from Slovakia (Baňa Zahorie). Basic properties were measured, such as acid-base titration curves, contents of main functional groups and sorption capability towards heavy metal cations (Cu2+, Zn2+, Co2+) and some organic pollutants. The contents of humic substances – main active constituents of the young coals – were also determined. Selected environmental applications of the brown coals will be mentioned further, e.g. for the removal of metal cations from waters or in phytoremediation of contaminated soils.

Highlights

Young brown coals have been frequently used to improve the soil quality for a long time
Large deposits of various kinds of young brown coals can be found in the Czech Republic (North Bohemia, South Moravia) as well as in Slovakia
A special kind of weathered and oxidatively altered lignite from the North-Bohemian coal basin is called “oxihumolite” (VESELÁ et al, 2005). It occurs at the surfaces of lignite deposits and is characterized by a high content of humic substances, unique sorption properties and high biological activity

Summary

Introduction

Young brown coals have been frequently used to improve the soil quality for a long time. Young brown coals contain large amounts of humic substances and may serve as an exogenous source of organic soil-constituents. Due to their complex-forming ability, humic acids play a crucial role in the mobility of nutrients, essential elements and heavy metals in the environment and in the bioavailability of these elements to plants. A special kind of weathered and oxidatively altered lignite from the North-Bohemian coal basin is called “oxihumolite” (VESELÁ et al, 2005). It occurs at the surfaces of lignite deposits and is characterized by a high content of humic substances, unique sorption properties and high biological activity. Because of their sorption ability towards various kinds of chemical species, they are increasingly used in other environmental applications, such as in wastewater treatment for the removal of metal cations (LAO et al, 2005; JANOŠ et al, 2007b; MIZERA et al, 2007), hexavalent chromium (LAKATOŠ et al, 2002), ionogenic organic substances, such as synthetic dyes (JANOŠ et al, 2005; JANOŠ et al, 2007a), or low-polarity organic compound, e.g. phenanthrene (KALAITZIDIS et al, 2006)

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Results

Conclusion