Environmentally sensitive trace elements in the Talcher and Ib valley coalfields: occurrence and environmental implications

Kumari, Jyoti and Agarwalla, Hridesh and Gangopadhyay, Monalisa and Masto, Reginald E and Senapati, Rabinarayan and Bari, Siddharth and Kumar, Manish (2026) Environmentally sensitive trace elements in the Talcher and Ib valley coalfields: occurrence and environmental implications. International Journal of Coal Preparation and Utilization. ISSN 1939-2699

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/19392699.2025.2611406

Abstract

Coal’s extensive use releases environmentally significant trace elements. This study investigates the occurrence and distribution of trace elements in coal from the Talcher and Ib Valley coalfields. Ten environmentally sensitive elements (Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ba, Sr and Pb) were examined, with Cr (306.69 mg/kg) and Ni (144.61 mg/kg) showing the highest average concentrations, followed by Ba (42.05 mg/kg) and Mn (17.95 mg/kg), while the remaining elements occur at <10 mg/kg. Enrichment factor analysis indicates a strong enrichment of Cr (3.06) and Ni (1.79) relative to the upper crustal levels, and the concentration coefficients show notable enrichment of Cr (18), Ni (10.3) and Mn (4.7) compared to world-coal averages. Sequential chemical extraction reveals that most elements (Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) are predominantly acid-soluble, while Ni (64.6%) and Ba (33.9%) are mainly silicate-bound, and Sr shows mixed silicate (25.4%) and pyritic (25.9%) affinity. A conceptual risk map was developed based on geochemical fractions, mobility, and toxicity. The ranking shows that Cd, Pb, Cr and Ni fall within the high-risk tier. Overall, the study delivers a quantitative, multiphase characterization of trace-element modes of occurrence, integrating sequential extraction with statistical correlations, and offers improved insight into environmental risk.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Heavy metal trace elements contamination coal mode of occurrence
Subjects:	Enviornmental Management
Divisions:	UNSPECIFIED
Depositing User:	Mr. B. R. Panduranga
Date Deposited:	30 Jan 2026 03:46
Last Modified:	30 Jan 2026 03:47
URI:	https://cimfr.csircentral.net/id/eprint/2930

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