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Distribution pattern of polycyclic aromatic compounds in coal gangue from coal city—East China

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Abstract

Coal gangue is a by-product of coal, the output of which is as high as 30% of raw coal, whereas only 30% of it is recycled. The leftover remains in the environment from gangue backfilling areas and overlap with residential, agricultural, and industrial areas. Coal gangue accumulated in the environment is easily weathered and oxidized and becomes a source of various pollutants. In this paper, 30 coal gangue samples (fresh and weathered coal gangues) were collected from three mine areas in Huaibei, Anhui province, China. Gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) was used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze thirty polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), including 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16PAHs), preferentially controlled by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), and the corresponding alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (a-PAHs). The results showed that PACs existed objectively in coal gangue, and the content of a-PAHs was higher than that of 16PAHs (average values for 16PAHs ranged from 77.8 to 581 ng/g; average values for a-PAHs ranged from 97.4 to 3179 ng/g). Moreover, coal types not only affected the content and type of PACs but also affected the distribution pattern of a-PAHs at different substitution sites. With the increase of gangue weathering degree, the composition of a-PAHs kept changing; the low ring a-PAHs were more easily diffused to the environment, and the high ring a-PAHs remained enriched in the weathered coal gangue. The correlation analysis showed that the correlation between fluoranthene (FLU) and alkylated fluoranthene (a-FLU) was as high as 94%, and the calculated ratios were not more than 1.5. The basic conclusion is that not only 16PAHs and a-PAHs objectively existed in the coal gangue, but also the characteristic compound belonging to the pollution source of coal gangue oxidation have been discovered. The results of the study provide a new perspective for the analysis of existing pollution sources.

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Data availability

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Materials availability

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the comments and suggestions from anonymous reviewers, who can greatly improve this paper.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 41772157; 41902172).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, Beijing, 100083, China

    Dandan Xu, Xiaona Zhang, YaHui Qian & Handong Liang

  2. College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing, 100083, China

    Dandan Xu, Xiaona Zhang, YaHui Qian & Handong Liang

  3. College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, 235000, China

    Xiuping Hong

Authors
  1. Dandan Xu
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  2. Xiaona Zhang
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  3. Xiuping Hong
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  4. YaHui Qian
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  5. Handong Liang
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Dandan Xu, Xiaona Zhang, Xiuping Hong, YaHui Qian, and Handong Liang. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Dandan Xu, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Handong Liang.

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Written informed consent for publication was obtained from all participants.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible Editor: Shimin Liu

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Highlights

1. Coal gangue is an important source of diffusion of PACs into the environment.

2. The content of a-PAHs in coal gangue was higher than that of 16PAHs.

3. Coal type affects the content of PACs and the distribution pattern of a-PAHs at different substitution sites.

4. The correlation between fluoranthene (FLU) and alkylated fluoranthene (a-FLU) was as high as 94% in coal gangue, and the calculated ratios were not more than 1.5.

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Xu, D., Zhang, X., Hong, X. et al. Distribution pattern of polycyclic aromatic compounds in coal gangue from coal city—East China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 58674–58683 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25990-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25990-x

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