The properties of Can Basin coals (Canakkale-Turkey): Spontaneous combustion and combustion by-products

Abstract

The goals of this study were to investigate the susceptibility of Can Basin (Canakkale-Turkey) coals to spontaneous combustion and to determine the composition of the gas produced from the coal during combustion. Coal properties were determined using burned and partly burned coal samples; gas samples were analyzed for their composition. The mineralogical variations of burning coals were also investigated. Our results indicated that the pyrite content of Can Basin coals is a significant factor for promoting combustion in addition to rank and moisture. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses indicated that the coal samples contained pyrite, quartz, cristobalite, tridymite, kaolinite, amorphous matter, and gypsum. Fumarolic minerals (sulfur blooming and ammonium chloride) forming on the surface of coal seams were monitored. Elements including beryllium, fluorine, scandium, vanadium, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, selenium, zirconium, molybdenum, tungsten, mercury, tantalum, lead, and uranium were found to be higher in can coal samples than the world average. The concentration of arsenic (max. 3319.7 mu g/g) was relatively high and is the major hazardous element in the region.