Coal from the waste disposal site of the Siersza mine (Trzebinia, Poland) and its properties as a possible alternative fuel

AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, Mickiewicza 30 av., 30-059 Kraków, Poland

^a Corresponding author: beata.kosa@wp.pl

Abstract

The authors recovered bituminous coal from the dump of the closed down Siersza mine in Trzebinia, determined its properties and evaluated a possibility of applying it as an alternative fuel for the cement industry. The dump material was enriched in a laboratory using the gravity (jigs, shaking tables) and flotation methods of coal cleaning. The gross calorific value of the processing products, measured with a calorimetric bomb, ranges from 13.588 to 22.543 MJ·kg⁻¹. The contents of heavy metals, determined with XRF, are as follows: Fe 3.76–5.25 mg·kg⁻¹, Mn 0.037–0.132 mg·kg⁻¹, Ti 0.325–0.493 mg·kg⁻¹ and Zn 0.113–0.329 mg·kg⁻¹, while of Hg (determined with ASA) from 0.02689 to 0.21870 mg·kg⁻¹. The content of sulphur is 0.7349–1.0484 wt.% and of chlorine Cl 0.131–0.135 wt.%, the net calorific value of 13.446–22.538 MJ·kg⁻¹. The results indicate that the laboratory jigging and flotation provide products that meet the parameters of the solid fuels selected by applicable to the needs of cement plants.