Geochemistry and oxidative potential of the respirable fraction of powdered mined Chinese coals.

This study evaluates geochemical and oxidative potential (OP) properties of the respirable (finer than 4 µm) fractions of 22 powdered coal samples from channel profiles (CP4) in Chinese mined coals. The CP4 fractions extracted from milled samples of 22 different coals were mineralogically and geochemically analysed and the relationships with the OP evaluated. The evaluation between CP4/CP demonstrated that CP4 increased concentrations of anatase, Cs, W, Zn and Zr, whereas sulphates, Fe, S, Mo, Mn, Hf and Ge decreased their CP4 concentrations. OP results from ascorbic acid (AA), glutathione (GSH) and dithiothreitol (DTT) tests evidenced a clear link between specific inorganic components of CP4 with OPAA and the organic fraction of OPGSH and OPDTT. Correlation analyses were performed for OP indicators and the geochemical patterns of CP4. These were compared with respirable dust samples from prior studies. They indicate that Fe (r = 0.83), pyrite (r = 0.66) and sulphate minerals (r = 0.42) (tracing acidic species from pyrite oxidation), followed by S (r = 0.50) and ash yield (r = 0.46), and, to a much lesser extent, Ti, anatase, U, Mo, V and Pb, are clearly linked with OPAA. Moreover, OPGSH correlation was identified by organic matter, as moisture (r = 0.73), Na (r = 0.56) and B (r = 0.51), and to a lesser extent by the coarse particle size, Ca and carbonate minerals. In addition, Mg (r = 0.70), B (r = 0.47), Na (r = 0.59), Mn, Ba, quartz, particle size and Sr regulate OPDTT correlations. These became more noticeable when the analysis was done for samples of the same type of coal rank, in this case, bituminous.

Mineralogy, geochemistry and toxicity of size-segregated respirable deposited dust in underground coal mines.

We focus on a comparison of the geochemistry and mineralogy patterns found in coal, deposited dust (DD), respirable deposited dust (RDD) and inhalable suspended dust (PM10) from a number of underground mines located in China, with an emphasis on potential occupational health relevance. After obtaining the RDD from DD, a toxicological analysis (oxidative potential, OP) was carried out and compared with their geochemical patterns. The results demonstrate: i) a dependence of RDD/DD on the moisture content for high rank coals that does not exist for low rank coals; ii) RDD enrichment in a number of minerals and/or elements related to the parent coal, the wear on mining machinery, lime gunited walls and acid mine drainage; and iii) the geochemical patterns of RDD obtained from DD can be compared with PM10 with relatively good agreement, demonstrating that the characterization of DD and RDD can be used as a proxy to help evaluate the geochemical patterns of suspended PM10. With regards to the toxicological properties of RDD, the Fe content and other by-products of pyrite oxidation, as well as that of anatase, along with Si, Mn and Ba, and particle size (among others), were highly correlated with Ascorbic Acid and/or Glutathione OP.