The internal microstructure and fibrous mineralogy of fly-ash from coal-burning power stations

Brown, Patrick D., Jones, Timothy Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4466-1260 and Berube, Kelly Ann ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7471-7229 2011. The internal microstructure and fibrous mineralogy of fly-ash from coal-burning power stations. Environmental Pollution 159 (12) , pp. 3324-3333. 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.08.041

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Abstract

Coal fly-ash (CFA) is a significant environmental pollutant that presents a respiratory hazard when airborne. Although previous studies have identified the mineral components of CFA, there is a paucity of information on the structural habits of these minerals. Samples from UK, Polish and Chinese power stations were studied to further our understanding of the factors that affect CFA geochemistry and mineralogy. ICP-MS, FE-SEM/EDX, XRD, and laser diffraction were used to study physicochemical characteristics. Analysis revealed important differences in the elemental compositions and particle size distributions of samples between sites. Microscopy of HF acid-etched CFA revealed the mullite present possesses a fibrous habit; fibres ranged in length between 1–10μm. Respirable particles (<10μm) were frequently observed to contain fibrous mullite. We propose that the biopersistence of these refractory fibres in the lung environment could be contributing towards chronic lung diseases seen in communities and individuals continually exposed to high levels of CFA.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Earth and Environmental Sciences
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General) Q Science > QE Geology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Coal fly ash; Mineralogy; Geochemistry; Microstructure; Fibrous mullite
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0269-7491
Last Modified:	03 May 2023 18:48
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/9893

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