Partitioning of major and trace elements of a Turkish lignite with size and density

Abstract

This research was devoted to determine the concentration and distribution of major and trace elements in a Turkish lignite and to investigate the partitioning behaviour of them in various size and density fractions to estimate the possibility of removal of trace elements by conventional coal cleaning. Three size fractions which were used in industrial coal cleaning processes were chosen. Each size fraction was separated into various density fractions by float and sink tests, which were evaluated for major and trace elements. These tests showed that by applying the same size and density fractions of industrial coal cleaning processes, more than 70% of Mo, Nb, Nd, W, Hg and Zr could be removed, which were approximately equal to the result achieved for ash removal.