Potential of Removing Trace Elements From a Turkish Lignite

Abstract

Lignite is a significant source for producing electricity in Turkey. However, the hazardous trace elements content, namely, vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), thorium (Th), and uranium (U), are much higher than those observed around the world. In this article, the potential of removing the trace elements from the Lignite obtained from the Soma mine using the gravity separation principles is discussed. The float-sink studies conducted using heavy liquid of 1.3 and 1.9 specific gravities identified that removal of the trace elements from the Soma lignite ranged from 15% to 83%.