Rare earth elements in fly ashes created during the coal burning process in certain coal-fired power plants operating in Poland – Upper Silesian Industrial Region

• Published in: Journal of environmental radioactivity Vol. 101; no. 11; pp. 965 - 968
• Main Author: Smolka-Danielowska, Danuta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Air Pollutants, Radioactive - analysis; Applied sciences; Ashes; Atmospheric pollution; Carbon - chemistry; Coal; Coal Ash; Combustion; Combustion and energy production; Electric power generation; Electric power plants; Exact sciences and technology; Extraction plants; fly ash; Metals, Rare Earth - analysis; Other industrial wastes. Sewage sludge; Particulate Matter - chemistry; Poland; Pollution; Pollution sources. Measurement results; Power Plants; Radiation Monitoring; Radioactivity; Rare earth elements; Scanning electron microscopy; Volatilization; Wastes; Poland; Europe; fly ash; Combustion; Rare earth elements; Coal; Hard coal; Scanning electron microscopy; Neutron activation analysis; Lanthanide; Radioactive pollution; Natural radioactivity; Radioisotope; Radioactivity measurement; Fly ash; Industrial waste; Coal power plant; Solid waste; Air pollution; Gamma spectrometry
• ISSN: 0265-931X; 1879-1700; 1879-1700
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2010.07.001

The subject of the study covered volatile ashes created during hard coal burning process in ash furnaces, in power plants operating in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region, Southern Poland. Coal-fired power plants are furnished with dust extracting devices, electro precipitators, with 99–99.6% combustion gas extracting efficiency. Activity concentrations ofTh-232, Ra-226, K-40, Ac-228, U-235 and U-238 were measured with gamma-ray spectrometer. Concentrations of selected rare soil elements (La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Y, Gd, Th, U) were analysed by means of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Mineral phases of individual ash particles were identified with the use of scanning electron microscope equipped with EDS attachment. Laser granulometric analyses were executed with the use of Analyssette analyser. The activity of the investigated fly-ash samples is several times higher than that of the bituminous coal samples; in the coal, the activities are: 226Ra – 85.4 Bq kg −1, 40 K–689 Bq kg −1, 232Th – 100.8 Bq kg −1, 235U–13.5 Bq kg −1, 238U–50 Bq kg −1 and 228Ac – 82.4 Bq kg −1.