Uranium speciation in coal bottom ash investigated via X-ray absorption fine structure and X-ray photoelectron spectra

Similar to chromium contamination, the environmental contamination caused by uranium in radioactive coal bottom ash (CBA) is primarily dependent on the chemical speciation of uranium. However, the relationship between uranium speciation and environmental contamination has not been adequately studied. To determine the relationship between uranium speciation and environmental contamination, X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) analyses were performed to determine the uranium speciation in CBA exposed to different chemical environments and simulated natural environments. The leachability of the different forms of uranium in the CBA was studied via a simulated acid rain leaching experiment, and the results showed that 57.0% of the total uranium was leached out as U(VI). The results of a linear combination fit (LCF) of the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectrum revealed that in the raw CBA, the uranium mainly occurred as U3O8 (71.8%). However, in the iron-rich particles, the uranium mainly occurred as UO2 (91.9%) after magnetic separation. Magnetite is a ubiquitous ferrous-bearing oxide, and it was effective for the sorption of U(IV). The result of FeSO4 leaching experiment indicated that 96.57% of total uranium was reduced from U(VI) to U(IV) when infiltrated with the FeSO4 solution for 6 months. This result clearly demonstrated the changes in chemical valence of uranium in the coal ash and provided a conceptual principle for preventing uranium migration from ash to the surrounding soil and plants.     

An advanced anaerobic biofilter with effluent recirculation for phenol removal and methane production in treatment of coal gasification wastewater

An advanced anaerobic biofilter (AF) was introduced for the treatment of coal gasification wastewater (CGW), and effluent recirculation was adopted to enhance phenol removal and methane production. The results indicated that AF was reliable in treating diluted CGW, while its efficiency and stability were seriously reduced when directly treating raw CGW. However, its performance could be greatly enhanced by effluent recirculation. Under optimal effluent recirculation of 0.5 to the influent, concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phenol in the effluent could reach as low as 234.0 and 14.2 mg/L, respectively. Also, the rate of methane production reached 169.0 mL CH₄/L/day. Though CGW seemed to restrain the growth of anaerobic microorganisms, especially methanogens, the inhibition was temporary and reversible, and anaerobic bacteria presented strong tolerance. The activities of methanogens cultivated in CGW could quickly recover on feeding with glucose wastewater (GW). However, the adaptability of anaerobic bacteria to the CGW was very poor and the activity of methanogens could not be improved by long-term domestication. By analysis using the Haldane model, it was further confirmed that high effluent recirculation could result in high activity for hydrolytic bacteria and substrate affinity for toxic matters, but only suitable effluent recirculation could result in high methanogenic activity.     

煤矸石复合吸附剂对Zn~(2+)的吸附性能

采用某洗煤厂的煤矸石和天然粘土石灰石作为主要原料,添加适量的氯化铝制备吸附剂对Zn~(2+)进行吸附,运用SEM技术对吸附剂进行了表征,研究了不同因素对Zn~(2+)去除率的影响,并探讨了吸附机理。实验结果表明:当反应温度为20℃、振荡时间为70 min、废水pH为6、吸附剂投加量为0.5 g时,Zn~(2+)去除率达到96.28%。煤矸石复合吸附剂对Zn~(2+)的吸附符合准二级动力学方程,在高浓度时符合Langmuir等温吸附模型低浓度时符合Freundlich等温吸附模型,且吸附是易发生的。     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their oxygen-containing derivatives (OPAHs) in soils from the Angren industrial area, Uzbekistan

We measured the concentrations and depth distribution (0-10, 10-20 cm) of 31 PAHs and 12 OPAHs in soils at eleven equidistant sampling points along a 20-km transect in the Angren industrial region (coal mine, power plant, rubber factory, gold mine), Uzbekistan to gain an insight into their concentrations, sources, and fate. Concentrations of all compounds were mostly much higher in the 0-10 cm than in the 10-20 cm layer except in disturbed soil close to the coal mine. Proximity to one of the industrial emitters was the main determinant of PAH and OPAH concentrations. The ∑31PAHs concentrations correlated positively with the ∑7 carbonyl-OPAH (r = 0.98, p < 0.01), ∑5 hydroxyl-OPAH (r = 0.72, p < 0.05), and with industrially emitted trace metals in the topsoil, identifying industrial emissions as their common source. Concentrations of several OPAHs were higher than their parent PAHs, but their vertical distribution in soil suggested only little higher mobility of OPAHs than their corresponding parent PAHs.     

Modeling polychlorinated biphenyl sorption isotherms for soot and coal

Sorption isotherms (pg-ng/L) were measured for 11 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) of varying molecular planarity from aqueous solution to two carbonaceous geosorbents, anthracite coal and traffic soot. All isotherms were reasonably log-log-linear, but smooth for traffic soot and staircase-shaped for coal, to which sorption was stronger and more nonlinear. The isotherms were modeled using seven sorption models, including Freundlich, (dual) Langmuir, and Polanyi-Dubinin-Manes (PDM). PDM provided the best combination of reliability and mechanistically-interpretable parameters. The PDM normalizing factor Z appeared to correlate negatively with sorbate molecular volume, dependent on the degree of molecular planarity. The modeling results supported the hypothesis that maximum adsorption capacities (Q_max) correlate positively with the sorbent’s specific surface area. Q_max did not decrease with increasing sorbate molecular size, and adsorption affinities clearly differed between the sorbents. Sorption was consistently stronger but not less linear for planar than for nonplanar PCBs, suggesting surface rather than pore sorption.     

Differences in physical properties and CO2 gasification reactivity between coal char and petroleum coke

This paper mainly investigated the physical properties and gasification reactivity of coal char and petroleum coke, separately at the high temperature pyrolysis (950–1400 °C) with slow heating rate and pyrolysis pressure of the atmospheric pressure and at the pressurized pyrolysis (the atmospheric pressure to 3 MPa) with rapid heating rate and the pyrolysis temperature of 950 °C. Some significant differences in those between coal chars and petroleum coke were found. The high temperature pyrolysis caused more easily the graphitization of petroleum coke than that of coal char, especially in the higher temperature range. The increasing pyrolysis temperature resulted in the decrease of surface areas of coal char and the increase of surface areas of petroleum coke. As the pyrolysis pressure was elevated from the atmospheric pressure to 3 MPa, surface areas of petroleum coke initially increased and then decreased, while those of coal chars presented an opposite tendency. The increasing pyrolysis temperature was adverse to the gasification activity of coal chars and was favorable for the gasification activity of petroleum coke. Also, the effects of the pyrolysis pressure on the gasification activity of coal char and petroleum coke were significantly different. The gasification activity of petroleum coke was obviously lower than that of coal chars, and even lower than that of the natural graphite.     

Leaching of trace and major elements from coal ash dumps

Coal ash samples taken from an active, currently filled cassette as well as samples taken from passive cassettes of the power plant in Obrenovac (Yugoslavia) were subjected to sequential leaching, comprising of extraction with distilled water, 1 M KC1 and 0.1 M HC1. Concentrations of trace and major elements found in extracts revealed that lead and cadmium are not present in significant concentrations, while other elements show different behavior: practically all absorbed trace elements and most of the major elements are partially leached during transport, while later, on the dump, only a slow release of most of the examined ion‐exchangeable elements occurs.     

关于酒泉某矿井空气预热系统的探讨

我国矿井空气预热最常用方法之一为空气加热器方法,这类系统在实际运行过程中存在一些问题。通过对酒泉某矿井预热方式分析,提出了此方法在空气设备选型及其布置形式和系统自动控制等方面的一些改进意见。     

The influence of oxygen concentration on the composition of gaseous products occurring during the self-heating of coal and wood sawdust

This article deals with an assessment of the influence of oxygen concentration on the composition and amount of combustion products generated in the course of heating coal particles and wood sawdust at 150 °C. This was done both with normal air and at 15% oxygen in the air in an isothermal furnace. The generated gases were analyzed by a Fourier Transform infrared spectrometer. Results show that under both conditions, the same substances are formed: water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and aliphatic hydrocarbons. However, the quantities changed. At 21% oxygen, the concentrations of carbon monoxide and methane were higher than at 15% oxygen both in coal and wood. The oxygen concentration was also found to affect the rates of release of CO and CO₂. The rate of release of CO was higher at 21% oxygen, but that of CO₂ was higher at 15%, indicating two different mechanisms. In all cases, the concentrations of these gases were higher for coal than for wood. The results have implications for the specification of safe conditions of storage of coal and wood substances and the selection of safety measures.     

Molecular characterization of microbial communities in bioaerosols of a coal mine by 454 pyrosequencing and real-time PCR

Microbial diversity and abundance in bioaerosols of a coal mine were analyzed based on 454 pyrosequencing and real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR). A total of 37,191 high quality sequences were obtained and could be classified into 531, 1730 and 448 operational taxonomic units respectively for archaea, bacteria and fungi at 97% sequence similarity. The Shannon diversity index for archaea, bacteria and fungi was respectively 4.71, 6.29 and 3.86, indicating a high diversity in coal mine bioaerosols. Crenarchaeota, Proteobacteria and Ascomycota were the dominant phyla for archaea, bacteria and fungi, respectively. The concentrations of total archaea, bacteria and fungi were 1.44 × 108, 1.02 × 108 and 9.60 × 104cells/m3, respectively.Methanotrophs observed in bioaerosols suggested possible methane oxidation in the coal mine. The identified potential pathogens to coal miners, such as Acinetobacter schindleri,Aeromonas cavernicola, Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus penicillioides, Cladosporium cladosporioides,and Penicillium brevicompactum were also observed. This was the first investigation of microbial diversity and abundance in coal mine bioaerosols. The investigation of microbial communities would be favorable in promoting the progress of methane control based on microbial technique and concern on coal miners’ health.