Journal
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
Volume 782, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145704
Keywords
Coal petrology; PAH; Coke; Coal tar pitch; Contamination; Organic petrography
Categories
Funding
- USGS Energy Resources Program
- Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
- EPA
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study quantifies the amount of coal and carbonaceous combustion by-products in sediments from the Kinnickinnic River using organic petrology techniques. Contaminants like PAHs are known to readily adsorb to coal and combustion byproducts, presenting concerns. Overall, the modified ASTM method provided a means to quantify the abundance of carbonaceous material present in the sediments.
This study examines the use of organic petrology techniques to quantify the amount of coal and carbonaceous combustion by-products (i.e., coke, coal tar/pitch, cenospheres) in sediments taken from the Kinnickinnic River adjacent to the former site of the Milwaukee Solvay Coke and Gas Company. These materials are of concern as contaminants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known to readily adsorb to coal and combustion byproducts. Kinnickinnic River sediment samples (n = 36) ranging in depth (1-11 ft.) were collected from eight core locations to quantify and characterize carbonaceous material in the sediments. To determine the amount (vol%) of organic particulates, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) modified the existing ASTM D2799 using the following categories: coal, coke, coal tar/pitch, inertinite organics, plant material, cenospheres, and mineral matter. Coal fragments were subdivided by rank using vitrinite reflectance (R-o, %) and organic components were further subdivided into the size fractions of coarse (250-1000 mu m), fine (63-250 mu m), and very fine (<63 mu m). Of the 36 samples analyzed, concentrations of coal, coke, and coal tar/pitch ranged from 0 to 18.2 vol%, 0 to 32.0 vol%, and 0 to 2.6 vol%, respectively, with the highest concentrations occurring near point sources (e.g. discharge pipe and coal unloading operations). Samples that were furthest upstream and downstream from the Solvay site exhibited a marked decrease in particulate organics, with exception of one upstream location which had 19.8 vol% coke. Overall, the modified ASTM method provided a means to quantify the abundance of carbonaceous material present in the sediments. Petrography and total PAH concentrations did not provide a clear correlation to organic matter type or size fraction but the samples with the highest vol% organic matter in each core generally corresponded to the sample with the highest bulk PAH content. (C) 2021 The USGS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available