Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Coal-Bearing Rocks, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (24 May 2024) | Viewed by 3347

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Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Interests: coal; dispersed organic matter; combustion; coal wastes; self-heating; environment; organic matter in environment
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Guest Editor
University of Silesia in Katowice, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Earth Sciences, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Interests: organic geochemistry of fossil fuels and organic matter dispersed in rocks; transformations of coal waste within dumps; organic environmental pollution; emerging pollutants
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Guest Editor
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Interests: mineralogy of burning coal-waste dumps; hydrothermal alteration of magmatic bodies; secondary minerals of the oxidative supergene zone of ore deposits; efflorescences around thermal springs
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Guest Editor
Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Senacka 1, 31-002 Kraków, Poland
Interests: clay mineralogy; spectroscopy; molecular modelling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of Minerals, I would like to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue related to the geochemistry, mineralogy, and petrology of coal-bearing rocks. These rocks, comprising a wide range of sediments with variable content of organic matter, are part of large geological sequences of different coalification. However, coal mining leads to the extraction of large volumes of coal-bearing rocks as well. The only small percentage of these rocks is usually reused as raw material for such purposes as road and building construction. The remaining part of these rocks is deposited in landfills. This practice, which is used all over the world, causes numerous environmental consequences since the reactive organic matter in coal-bearing rocks is susceptible to oxidation, biodegradation, and self-heating. These processes produce organic and inorganic pollutants emitted to the air or leached to waters and soil. Sulfide oxidation forms acidic conditions favoring mobilization of toxic metals from coal-bearing rocks. They, together with chlorides, nitrates, and sulphates, are leached and present a significant hazard to surface and groundwaters. Long-term storage of coal-bearing rocks affects the landscape of coal-mining regions and endangers inhabitants living in their vicinity.

This Special Issue invites contributions dealing with mineralogical, geochemical, and petrological aspects of these rocks themselves, their formation within a deposit, thermal evolution, and secondary processes such as weathering, transformations after storage in landfills, newly formed phases, the impact of coal waste dumping on the environment and human health, the rehabilitation of coal waste landfills, and the recovery of coal waste material.

Dr. Magdalena Misz-Kennan
Prof. Dr. Monika J. Fabiańska
Dr. Justyna Ciesielczuk
Dr. Marek Szczerba
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • mineralogy and geochemistry of coal-bearing rocks
  • coal-bearing rocks formation, thermal evolution, and secondary processes
  • coal-bearing rock transformation within landfills
  • new phases formation
  • rehabilitation of coal waste landfills and material recovery
  • impact of coal waste dumping on the environment and human health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 35265 KiB  
Article
Geochemical Characteristics and Sedimentary Paleoenvironment of the Coal-Bearing Strata in the Xishanyao Formation: A Case Study of the Yihua Coal Mine in the Zhundong Coalfield, Xinjiang
by Yulong Wang, Wenfeng Wang, Wenlong Wang and Piaopiao Duan
Minerals 2024, 14(5), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14050461 - 26 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1077
Abstract
The eastern Junggar Basin in Xinjiang harbors abundant coal resources within the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation. However, the formation environment associated with these coal-bearing strata remains unclear. Geochemical characteristics serve as crucial geological indicators of the sedimentary period. Therefore, it is imperative to [...] Read more.
The eastern Junggar Basin in Xinjiang harbors abundant coal resources within the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation. However, the formation environment associated with these coal-bearing strata remains unclear. Geochemical characteristics serve as crucial geological indicators of the sedimentary period. Therefore, it is imperative to explore the geochemical attributes and sedimentary context of the coal-rich layers within the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation in the Zhundong region to enhance the prospects of coal extraction and utilization. The elemental compositions, both major and trace, of the Xishanyao Formation were analyzed through X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A comprehensive analysis was conducted on the sediment provenance, tectonic background, and depositional environment of the coal-bearing strata in the Xishanyao Formation. Moreover, through the utilization of a range of discrimination indices, including Sr/Cu, B/Ga, Sr/Ba, V/Cr, Ni/Co, and δCe, the paleo-depositional setting of the coal-containing layers was reconstructed. The findings suggest that the primary source rocks of the coal-bearing beds in the Xishanyao Formation consist of continental tholeiites, with the predominant material composition in the source region being felsic volcanic rocks originating from the upper crust. The tectonic backdrop of the source region is marked by a continental island arc environment. During the sedimentation period of the Xishanyao Formation, the depositional environment was characterized by a freshwater oxidizing setting. Additionally, it experienced a transition from arid-hot to humid-hot before returning to arid-hot conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Coal-Bearing Rocks, 2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 18457 KiB  
Article
Types and Genesis of Siderite in the Coal-Bearing Beds of the Late Permian Xuanwei Formation in Eastern Yunnan, China
by Hailei Tang, Qing Zhao, Bo Liu, Shucheng Tan and Kaibo Shi
Minerals 2023, 13(9), 1233; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13091233 - 21 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1674
Abstract
The Late Permian strata of the Xuanwei Formation in the eastern Yunnan region exhibit extensive diverse morphological features within siderite deposits. These variations in siderite deposits suggest potential differences in their formation processes. In this study, fieldwork and comprehensive indoor studies revealed four [...] Read more.
The Late Permian strata of the Xuanwei Formation in the eastern Yunnan region exhibit extensive diverse morphological features within siderite deposits. These variations in siderite deposits suggest potential differences in their formation processes. In this study, fieldwork and comprehensive indoor studies revealed four distinct forms of siderite deposits: stratiform-laminated, lens-like nodule, sandstone cementation, and fracture filling. The stratiform-laminated siderite, varying in color from bluish-grey to dark grey, is composed of uniformly sized microcrystalline to fine-grained siderite along with detrital matter, displaying precise layering and banding structures that suggest direct deposition from cyclic iron-rich seawater under reducing conditions. Lens-like-nodule siderite, which appears grey-yellow, is composed of mud microcrystalline siderite, medium to coarse-grained pseudo-ooids, and glauconite. It shows conformable distribution characteristics resulting from the diagenetic differentiation of iron-rich sediments under reducing conditions during the diagenetic and early diagenetic periods. Siderite as sandstone cementation exhibits a yellow-brown color and consists of dispersed colloidal siderite and cemented siderite clumps that fill intergranular pores of detrital particles. It precipitated under reducing conditions within those intergranular pores. Siderite filling fractures typically appear as vein-like or network-like structures intersecting bedding at large angles. They exhibit grain structures with significant variations in size. These siderite deposits exhibit exceptional purity and result from siderite dissolution during sedimentary periods, followed by reprecipitation within regional extensional fractures during the diagenetic phase. The primary occurrence of siderite deposits in the study area is within coal-bearing strata, as revealed by the integration of sedimentary profiles and sedimentary facies analysis. The coal-bearing strata, influenced by the Emeishan large igneous province, underwent iron enrichment during and after volcanic eruptions while developing a reducing environment, which was facilitated by abundant vegetation. Consequently, geological processes led to siderite layers, lens-like siderite nodules, and siderite cementation. The Yanshan orogeny induced extensive high-angle fracture development in epigenetic coal-bearing strata, facilitating fluid circulation and the redistribution of soluble siderite. This geological activity resulted in the formation of vein-like structures composed of siderite. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Coal-Bearing Rocks, 2nd Edition)
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