Characterization of mineral matter in East Texas lignites

Technical Report · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983

OSTI ID:5573778

Gueven, N; Lee, L J

The purpose of this project is to characterize the mineral matter in Texas lignites and in their ashes. Low temperature ashing is a practical way to burn the coal in order to separate the mineral matter in the form of low temperature ash (LTA) without any serious alterations. Twenty-seven LTA samples have been selected from four lignite cores drilled in Shelby, Nacogdoches, Panola, and Rusk Counties in East Texas from the Sabine Uplift, Wilcox Group. The mineral matter in these LTA samples have been studied with x-ray diffraction (XRD) and with analytical electron microscopy (AEM). Quartz, bassanite, kaolinite and halloysite are the main mineral components in these lignites. Pyrite, illite, smectite, chlorite, barite, and feldspars generally occur in small quantities. The silica phase consists mostly of authigenic microquartz and of some detrital quartz. Following the determination of the mineral phases, we searched for the particles carrying hazardous elements such as As, Cd, Cr, Co, Pb, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Se, V, Ag, Zn, Ti, U and Th. Particulate matter with high concentration of selenium and lead is found and it has been identified as a Pb-Se compound known as clausthalite. Similarly, particles with high Pb-Sn content are found in the form of spherules of about 300 A in size. Manganese is found in association with iron oxides occurring in the form of minute spherules of 200 A. A mineral particle with high Zr and Si concentration is identified as zircon. Titanium-rich particles consist of needle-like crystals of rutile (or anatase) in the coal. 28 figures, 10 tables.

• Research Organization: Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock (USA). Dept. of Geosciences
• OSTI ID: 5573778
• Report Number(s): TENRAC/EDF-103; ON: DE84900412
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010600* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Properties & Composition
ACTINIDES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM SILICATES
ARSENIC
ASHES
BARITE
BARIUM COMPOUNDS
BARIUM SULFATES
BROWN COAL
CADMIUM
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHLORITE MINERALS
CHROMIUM
CLAYS
COAL
COBALT
COHERENT SCATTERING
DATA
DIFFRACTION
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FELDSPARS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
ILLITE
INFORMATION
IRON
IRON COMPOUNDS
IRON SULFIDES
KAOLINITE
LEAD
LEAD COMPOUNDS
LEAD SELENIDES
LIGNITE
MANGANESE
MATERIALS
MERCURY
METALS
MICROSCOPY
MINERALOGY
MINERALS
MOLYBDENUM
NICKEL
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDE MINERALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
PYRITE
QUARTZ
RESIDUES
SCATTERING
SELENIDES
SELENIUM
SELENIUM COMPOUNDS
SEMIMETALS
SILICA
SILICATE MINERALS
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
SILVER
SMECTITE
SULFATE MINERALS
SULFATES
SULFIDE MINERALS
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
THORIUM
TITANIUM
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
URANIUM
VANADIUM
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
ZINC