Differentiation of Rare Earth Elements in Coal Combustion Products from the Handan Power Plant, Hebei Province, China

Yafan Hu, Juanjuan Ma, Jinxi Wang (), Hongya Niu, Zhen Yang, Huidi Hao and Balaji Panchal
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Yafan Hu: Key Laboratory for Resource Exploration Research of Hebei Province, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Juanjuan Ma: Key Laboratory for Resource Exploration Research of Hebei Province, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Jinxi Wang: Key Laboratory for Resource Exploration Research of Hebei Province, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Hongya Niu: Key Laboratory for Resource Exploration Research of Hebei Province, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Zhen Yang: Key Laboratory for Resource Exploration Research of Hebei Province, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Huidi Hao: Key Laboratory for Resource Exploration Research of Hebei Province, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Balaji Panchal: Key Laboratory for Resource Exploration Research of Hebei Province, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: As a potential source of REY (rare earth elements and yttrium), coal and its products have attracted much attention. In this paper, we aimed to study the enrichment and differentiation of rare earth elements in fly ash with different particle sizes and promote the full recovery and utilization of rare earth elements in fly ash. Our objective was to focus on the REY concentration in feed coal and its combustion products from the Handan Power Plant. We particularly focused on the distribution of REY in relation to different particle sizes, as well as on the state of occurrence (affinity), by applying stepwise chemical extraction and performing examinations using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the REY content is affected by the mineral composition of coal ash, and REY is more easily enriched in slag and fine ash than coarse ash. In general, the REY content decreased with the decrease in particle size in coarse ash, whereas the REY content increased with the decrease in particle size in fine ash. It was found that the concentration distribution of REY in solid combustion products is as follows: light REY (LREY) > medium REY (MREY) > heavy REY (HREY). This indicates that the enrichment of REY in solid coal products decreases with the increase in atomic number. The results also show that the occurrence state of REY in raw coal and coal ash undergoes no obvious change (residue state > organic/sulfide-bound state > iron–manganese-oxide-bound state > carbonate-bound state > exchangeable state).

Keywords: coal; coal combustion; rare earth elements; enrichment mechanism; occurrence state (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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