Coal beneficiation technology to reduce hazardous heavy metals in fly ash

Fly ash emitted from the coal-fired power plant is the major contributor of the outdoor airborne particulate matters (PMs). Coal beneficiation, an industrial process to improve the quality of raw coal by removing ashbearing components, can be a cost-effective sustainable and clean technology to reduce the emission of hazardous trace metals. As the removal efficiency of mineral matters and heavy metals within the coal is depend highly on the raw coal and the employed beneficiation process, a wide range of case studies at laboratory- and industrial-scale, published in the last 20 years, are reviewed in this study. Our review indicates that the coal beneficiation processes can effectively reduce content of heavy metals of fly ash, encouraging the use of clean coal to reduce pollutants emission.

Automated summary

Fly ash emitted from coal-fired power plants is a major contributor to outdoor airborne particulate matter (PM) pollution. Coal beneficiation is a cost-effective and sustainable technology for reducing the emission of hazardous trace metals by improving the quality of raw coal. Case studies over the past 20 years have shown that coal beneficiation processes can effectively reduce heavy metal content in fly ash, thereby promoting the use of clean coal to reduce pollutant emissions.