Occurrence Relationship between Sodium and Maceral Groups in Subbituminous Coal: A Case Study on Zhundong Coal and Shenfu Coal

Abstract

The occurrence characteristics of sodium and its potential relationship with macerals in Zhundong coal, as well as in Shenfu coal with average sodium levels, are investigated in this study. A new five-step sequential extraction method was first conducted for determination. The occurrence status of sodium and its related macerals in samples was determined by microscope and SEM–EDS (scanning electron microscope–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy). Soluble sodium salts (H2O-Na) make up the primary proportion of sodium in Zhundong coal, at approximately 50%, while various sodium species are distributed in Shenfu coal with nonobvious differences. Inertinite contains more sodium than vitrinite does in both coals, and the highest enrichment degree of sodium was discovered in inertinite from Zhundong coal, which presented primarily as NaCl crystals (H2O-Na) in fusinite cells, with a local weight percentage of over 15%. More specifically, H2O-Na and insoluble Na both tend to enrich in fusinite. Additionally, it is found that maceral-rich products can be gathered using triboelectrostatic separation, and a portion of sodium can thus be removed from the coal by removing inertinite. This study may provide new insights and references regarding sodium removal from Zhundong coal.