Increased total sulfur content in coal from Donets and other basins

Abstract

The ash composition is used to assess the conditions of coal-bed formation in the Donets and L’vovsk-Volynsk basins. The experimental data are inconsistent with some aspects of the hypothesis that pyrite and secondary organic sulfur are formed in the coal. The lack of a relationship between the total sulfur content Std in the coal and the MgO content in its ash does not agree with the notion that sulfates from sea water provide the basis source of nonvegetative sulfur in coal. The actual Std values do not always correspond to the theory that the source of sulfur depends on the alkalinity of the water and the reducing medium where the deposits accumulate. In the conditions that are most favorable to the formation of coal with high total sulfur content (Std > 4 wt %) according to the existing hypothesis, the actual value of Std is no more than 1.5%. The source of pyrite and organic sulfur in coal requires further discussion.