Characteristics of Illinois Basin bituminous coals

Conference · Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5142620

Damberger, H H ^[1]

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1. Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, IL (United States). Coal Section

Coals of the Illinois Basin represent the full range of the high volatile bituminous rank; the lowest rank coals occur in the northwestern portion of the coal basin and the highest rank coals in southeastern Illinois. The heating value increases regularly from NW to Se, reflecting increasing former maximum depth of burial in that direction. All Illinois Basin coals are agglomerating; low-sulfur coals of southern Illinois have been used in coke making. Illinois Basin coals are known for their high sulfur content, generally well over 2.5%. However, nearly one third of the coal mined in the basin has relatively low sulfur contents, generally below 2%, some as low as 0.8--1.2%. Reserves of relatively low sulfur content represent less than 5% of the remaining coal reserves, but they have been and will continue to be mined preferentially. Their origin has only been fully understood in the past couple of decades: they are closely associated with ancient rivers that drained the vast peat swamps from which the coal seams originated during the Pennsylvanian Period, some 300 million years ago. This geologic model has been widely used to locate additional low-sulfur coal reserves. The cleanability of Illinois Basin coals by mechanical methods (e.g. heavy media and froth flotation), relative to both ash and element contents, varies widely. Elements directly associated with the organic matter, that is those with a high organic affinity (e.g. Ge, Be, B, Sb), cannot be reduced by mechanical cleaning, but those with a high inorganic affinity (e.g. Zn, Cd, Mn, As, Fe) are easily reduced; S is associated with both the organic and inorganic matter. Most coal mined in the Illinois Basin is cleaned before shipping. Minor and trace elements in Illinois Basin coals have been studied intensively; some are of environmental concern.

• OSTI ID: 5142620
• Report Number(s): CONF-9303210-; CODEN: GAAPBC
• Journal Information: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:3; Conference: 27. annual Geological Society of America (GSA) North-Central Section meeting, Rolla, MO (United States), 29-30 Mar 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
BITUMINOUS COAL
CALORIFIC VALUE
SULFUR CONTENT
COAL DEPOSITS
GEOCHEMISTRY
ILLINOIS BASIN
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
BLACK COAL
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMISTRY
COAL
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MATERIALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
RESOURCES
010600* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Properties & Composition