Thermal effects on arsenic emissions during coal combustion process

Weiqiang Zhang; Qiang Sun; Xiuyuan Yang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.262

Thermal effects on arsenic emissions during coal combustion process

Sci Total Environ. 2018 Jan 15:612:582-589. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.262. Epub 2017 Sep 1.

Authors

Weiqiang Zhang¹, Qiang Sun², Xiuyuan Yang³

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Coalbed Methane Resources and Reservoir Formation Process of the Ministry of Education, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province 221116, PR China; School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province 221116, PR China. Electronic address: zhangweiqiang1204@163.com.
² Key Laboratory of Coalbed Methane Resources and Reservoir Formation Process of the Ministry of Education, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province 221116, PR China; School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province 221116, PR China; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charoltte, NC 28223, USA. Electronic address: zs12010100@cumt.edu.cn.
³ Hydrogeological and Environmental Geological Survey Center of China Geological Survey, Baoding, Hebei Province 071051, PR China. Electronic address: chegsyangxiuyuan@163.com.

PMID: 28865274
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.262

Abstract

In this study, the rate of emission of arsenic during the burning process of different kinds of coal is examined in order to study the volatile characteristics of arsenic during coal combustion which have negative effects on the ecological environment and human health. The results show that the emission rate of arsenic gradually increases with increased burning temperature, with a threshold of approximately 700°C to 800°C in the process of temperature increase. Then, the relationships among the arsenic emission rate and combustion environment, original arsenic content, combustion time, burning temperature, air flow and amount of arsenic fixing agent are discussed, and it is found that except for the original arsenic content, the rest of the factors have a nonlinear relationship with the emission rate of arsenic. That is, up to a certain level, they all contribute to the release of arsenic, and then their impact is minimal. The original arsenic content in coal is proportional to the arsenic emission rate. Therefore, taking into consideration the nonlinear relationships between factors that affect the arsenic emission rate can reduce contamination from arsenic.

Keywords: Arsenic; Coal combustion; Emission rate; Human health; Thermal effects.

Publication types

Review