Abstract
Burning or burnt out mine spoil heaps may be potential sources of materials not only for building purposes, but they may also be used in the ceramic industry. Decay of the coal mass contained in the mine spoil heaps often leads to self-ignition. As a consequence of spontaneous mine fire, which may approach 1600 °C, the surrounding waste rock undergoes thermal conversion. The temperature conditions inside the burning spoil heaps are analogous to the production conditions of refractory opening materials and fillers in rotary furnaces. The article deals with an analysis of anthropogenic porcelanites in terms of their phase composition and their possible application in the ceramic industry. The material under analysis underwent X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and X-ray fluorescence to identify its chemistry and mineralogy. The article also proposes an enrichment method for the given material, through which a higher proportion of its useful component, mullite, may be obtained. Applying this method, approximately 60 % relatively pure separated raw material suitable for the ceramic industry may be obtained from the original material.
Highlights
The issue of burning mine spoil heaps in coal deposits concerns many coal districts world-wide
Some authors focused on the petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry of mine spoil heaps in their studies [4, 5]
A part of each class was used to determine the abundances of the mineral phases by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and the remaining parts were used to prepare a polished section to study its character and chemical composition using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersion spectrometer (EDS)
Summary
The issue of burning mine spoil heaps in coal deposits concerns many coal districts world-wide. All, it concerns localities with underground mining as the waste rock contains large amounts of residual coal mass. In connection with oxidation processes, the coal mass may self-ignite. The decay of fossil organic matter is the major energy resource for such processes. Most heat is released when unsaturated organic compounds oxidise into humic-acid-type compounds. Numerous works have dealt with the issue of self-ignition, monitoring and the processes occurring inside the mine spoil heaps [2, 3]. Some authors focused on the petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry of mine spoil heaps in their studies [4, 5]. Studies applying anthropogenic porcelanites in the ceramic industry are rare [7]
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