Geochemical Analysis of Coal and Trace Elements
Summary
Geochemical analysis of coal combines detailed characterisation of organic macerals with quantitative assessment of mineral matter and associated trace elements. Coal, a heterogeneous sedimentary rock, hosts a wide spectrum of elements—from benign silicates to environmentally sensitive species such as arsenic, mercury and selenium. Understanding the distribution, mode of occurrence and mobility of trace elements in coal is crucial for resource recovery, pollution control and combustion engineering. Analytical approaches often integrate bulk techniques (X-ray fluorescence, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) with spatially resolved methods (electron microscopy, laser-ablation ICP-MS) and sequential extraction to partition elements into exchangeable, carbonate, sulfide, organic and residual fractions. These insights inform strategies for critical‐element extraction (notably rare earth elements), optimisation of beneficiation processes, mitigation of heavy‐metal emissions and evaluation of coal’s suitability for advanced conversion technologies and carbon capture applications.
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Geochemical Analysis of Coal and Trace Elements publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in geochemical analysis of coal and trace elements across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Trace element: Chemical element present in coal at low concentrations (typically <1000 ppm) with potential environmental or economic significance.
Rare earth element (REE): Any of the 17 lanthanides plus yttrium and scandium, often enriched in coal and fly ash and vital for high-tech applications.
Maceral: Organic constituent of coal derived from plant material, classified by optical properties and carbonisation rank.
Mineral matter: Inorganic constituents in coal, including discrete minerals and poorly crystalline mineraloids that host most trace elements.
Sequential extraction: Laboratory procedure that operationally separates trace elements into fractions (exchangeable, carbonate, sulfide, organic, residual) to infer geochemical associations.
References
- Green Approach for Rare Earth Element (REE) Recovery from Coal Fly Ash. Environmental Science and Technology (2023).
- Provenance changes for mineral matter in the latest Permian coals from western Guizhou, southwestern China, relative to tectonic and volcanic activity in the Emeishan Large Igneous Province and Paleo-Tethys region. Gondwana Research (2023).
- The importance of minerals in coal as the hosts of chemical elements: A review. International Journal of Coal Geology (2019).
- A Comprehensive Review of Rare Earth Elements Recovery from Coal-Related Materials. Minerals (2020).
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